Can you really teach an old dog new tricks?

As I've mentioned on previous posts, I have really been enjoying an introduction to "assemblage art"!  Through signing up for some fun swaps on the AFA website, I've had such challenges as creating mixed media 3-D Birds, Fish, Domino Dolls & Books and Cats. Needless to say, I'm hooked and hoping for more of these swaps in my future!!

Today's Show and Tell will be showcasing my maiden voyage into larger scale assemblage. I became inspired when making my small projects and as they say, I ran with it!!  

My first love in the Land of Art will always be creating with porcelain clay. I have been a clay artist for more years than I care to reveal! ( I'm in denial about all this gray hair, not to mention... now, what was I talking about?! You get the idea...) The main components of this assemblage project were made out of porcelain with only one kiln firing. Since the piece is intended to be decorative and not functional, I chose to do the finish work in acrylic paint instead of glazing. This is actually the first time I have ever done this process of painting clay, I must admit I am of the "old school"... clay is supposed to be glazed!! I have been very reluctant to change my ways, even if acrylic painting has become very popular & acceptable in recent years!! So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave it a try... for this project, I do like the results that I got but I did miss my airbrush!!

Below: bisque fired porcelain components for my assemblage.

Below are photos of my finished piece. 

(it measures 30 inches top to bottom and approximately 6 inches wide) 

The Foliage Queen

Close up of The Foliage Queen

Component Close-up (a nightlight is in the box behind the fan of leaves) 

As always, I'm glad you stopped by to see what I've been up to...

 Until next time, Happy Creating!!

Cooler days ahead... please!!

With Summer on it's way out, I am anxiously awaiting the beginning of my favorite season, Autumn! I have never looked so forward to a season change than I do this year. Week after week of record breaking temperatures (as well as being surrounded by wildfires and smoke), has left me longing for much cooler days! 11 days and counting... but I will endure to enjoy the crisp cool days ahead,  even if today is still going to be in the 90's!!

A while back I posted about my maiden voyage into the world of Chunky Pages, At that time I started a Janoodle Chunky with plans to continue adding pages from time to time. Today's Show & Tell showcases the latest additions to my chunky book... In celebration of Autumn, I created a few Janoodles of fall leaves! I love to watch the different stages of their journey as they make their way from "tree to ground"... with the variety of shapes and changing colors, one can't help but be artistically inspired! 

Below are photos of my Autumn Leaf Chunkies... It is a bit early, they are just starting to change, this warm weather makes for more subtle colors than usual! Hopefully, by next month there will be plenty of leafy eye candy on the mountainsides! 

( I'm not sure why but my scans really don't do them justice... the color layers appear to be washed out... in person you can see a lot of depth... Really... Oh well, you get the idea! )

I'm glad you stopped by...

Until next time, Blessings to One & All!!

Challenge your "creative" self, I dare you!!

A few months ago I presented myself with an art challenge to shake up my creative comfort zone, I have aptly named it "5 Minutes to Completion" ... I have a tendency to primarily use a great deal of time consuming details in my artwork while using the background painting as the secondary element; however, in this challenge I attempt to reverse those elements by minimizing the details and relying on the paint colors to take on more importance in the overall composition. Sometimes I find this easier said than done, the time restraints seem to be the hardest part of the challenge for me but I do feel that I'm making some headway!  The allotted 5 minutes breakdown with 2 minutes for painting and 3 minutes for finishing details.

Today's challenge theme was Trees... they are one of my favorite all time things to draw and paint. I absolutely love to get lost in creating the intricate details of the wood & leaves, hence the challenge! Below are photos of the three finished ATC's... I limited my details to the tree's trunks and left the painting to carry the load of representing the foliage ( truth be known, I'm dying to go back with my pen and keep going... No, I will be strong and walk away!! )

Stand Tall

Old Guard

Flaming Glory

Do you possibly have something about your creative self that you'd like to work on? 

If so, try an art challenge of your own... shake things up and have some FUN!!

  

Just remember, ARTING each day keeps the doctor away!! 

Assemblage is the Cat's Meow!

Just a quickie Show & Tell for you today...  The latest art swap on AFA that has caught my eye is all about Cats, they must be created in mixed media as well as hang like an ornament... how could I resist?! 

Below are photos of my finished  Alley Cat Gang... (Heads are sculpted out of polymer clay, bodies are made of aluminum from soda cans & covered in tissue paper, paws are mini erasers... all components are assembled with twisted wire)

 Tange                                 Satch

Rusty                                  Smokey

Short & Sweet... Thanks for taking a peek!

Until next time, Keep Creating!!

Let the Dominoes fall where they may...

I've always enjoyed a good fast paced game of Dominoes (truth be known, I am the reigning "Domino Queen" in my social circle)... little did I know what a versatile art supply that I had stashed away in the game closet for all these years!! A few months ago was my first exposure in using dominoes when I participated in a Domino Dolls Swap (check out "March 24th" post). I had so much fun that when I saw the sign-ups for a Domino Books Swap, I just couldn't resist joining in once again! After this project I have to admit that I am hooked for good... just say the word "Domino" and I'll come running to make whatever you ask for!!

Domino Books consist of 2 dominoes as the front & back covers of the book with accordion folded pages attached inside. The sky is the limit on how you choose to decorate your dominoes as well as what the pages will be like! The main ingredients here are imagination & FUN!!!

Below is a picture of my finished books. (I covered my dominoes with layers of brightly colored tissue paper collage and ink details, a ribbon is attached to the back to enable the book to be tied closed.) 

  

Completed Domino Books

Below is a picture of the "accordion" pages that I created in my trusty Janoodle style for the inside of my books (this pic really doesn't do them justice, even if I do say so myself!)

"Accordion" pages inside Domino Books

As always, thank you for popping in to see what I've been up to!

Until next time... Happy Creating!!

In the Good ol' Summertime... it's Fair Time!

August means "Fair Time" in Northeast Washington State! For several years, I have been privileged to be the Judge for the Kid's Fine Arts Division. After spending most of yesterday fulfilling my duties, I found myself leaving the pavilion a bit frustrated for the first time. I try my best to be more supportive than critical when awarding the ribbons and I always take the time to write positive remarks on each entry form. I have tried to explain to the Kid's Pavilion Superintendent the need to separate the age divisions when hanging the show (I come in after they are hung and do the judging) so that a senior teen's work (age 13-17) isn't hung next to a junior's (age 8-12) or even next to a primary (age 2-7). I take into consideration the age of each artist when judging. As the judge, I can see the age code but others don't see the age of the artist. I may give a 10 yr. old a Blue ribbon for their effort and a 17 yr. old only a Red ribbon for theirs, when hung side by side it appears not to make sense to the viewer. Sometimes even the kids question "why" when comparing their work to others. I was told by the powers to be that they would give my request some thought for the future but the show is hung and ready to go for this year... Hence , the reason for my aforementioned frustration. Oh well, it's not about me... it's all about the kids!!

Soooo, speaking of Art that is about me... I have never participated by entering any of my own artwork in the Fair's Adult Division, this year I thought it would be interesting to join in the fun! I created a Mega-sized Janoodle that I decided would be my entry. I wasn't sure how my colorful abstract work would be received but I went ahead and delivered my entry in time for judging. 

Below is a photo of my award winning "Wild Garden"... Much to my surprise and pleasure, I received a Blue Ribbon and a Purple Judge's "Special Award" for my effort! 

"Wild Garden" @ Northeast Washington Fair

Thanks for stopping by... Until next time, Ciao!!

Come fly with me!

Welcome to today's Show & Tell... I'm currently on an art assemblage kick, I love that "A little bit of this and a little bit of that" is the only rule of thumb (along with your own unique imagination) for a successful creation. Today's post showcases my efforts from another AFA swap for Mixed Media Birds. The only requirements were that the birds needed to be three-dimensional and be able to hang in the style of an ornament.

Below are pictures of four different species of "Northwestern Corkies" ... 

(the heads are created from polymer clay and the body from a bottle cork with additional supplies of wire, aluminum can, tissue paper and assorted fibers)

NW "Twist Beak" Corky

NW "Vulture" Corky

NW "Canary" Corky

NW "Red Crowned" Corky

  

Thanks for popping in, I hope that you stop by again soon!!

Until next time, Blessings to All!!

 

Now you see me, now you don't!

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved a challenge... especially an ART related challenge!  Today's Show & Tell is from a swap that I recently signed up for on the ATC's for All website. The swap challenge here is to create an "ATC Fan" that when closed, it will fit into a 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" sleeve as well as conceal a hidden treasure! I have participated in Fan swaps in the past and I have always enjoyed myself. What's not to like?... designing, cutting, painting, assembling... some times it works, sometimes it doesn't ... but, in the end... fun, fun, fun!!! 

Below are some photos of my Fan Swap efforts... the first pic shows all of the "closed" fans as they appear when stored in their sleeves. The next two pics show the "surprises" that are revealed when the fans are opened!

Closed Fans - "Garden Hideouts"

#1  Dragonfly     -     #2  Caterpillar

#3  Snail      -     #4 Hatchling

  

Hope you feel inspired to create some ART today!?

As always, Thanks for stopping by ... Until next time, Ciao!!

 

 

Forget those apples... a bit of Art & a Chuckle a day keeps the doctor away!!

Just a quicky Show & Tell for you today... I was going through some of my art supplies on a quest for a specific item that I could not find, after quite some time I became frustrated and gave up the hunt. Unfortunately, I ended up with a bigger mess than I started with! While trying to find places to return items to, I came across a colorful stack of tissue paper that I have been saving from past projects. Needless to say, the tissue paper was taken to my work table! I just simply love tissue paper, the colors are so vibrant and even when they get wet the colors remain in tact without fading or bleeding! They are the perfect medium for adding color to collages or creating backgrounds for other projects.  When the different colors are layered on top of another color, the variations are endless. Depending on the project, tissue can create added texture where desired by creasing & overlapping as you apply the glue.

Below are postcards that I created tissue paper backgrounds for. I chose not to have too much texture so that I could do detail work to finish; otherwise, my fine tipped rapidograph pen would snag on the paper folds preventing the clean lines that I prefer! The cards are very bright & vibrant in person as well as finished with a semi-gloss surface.

    

Postcards - tissue paper, hand carved stamps & ink - approx. 6"x 9"

So, if you're looking for a quick & easy project on a lazy summer day...

Take it from me, "nothing says fun like tissue paper & glue!!"

I have a little extra for your viewing pleasure... I took a ride outside of town the other day, much to my surprise I came upon a sight that at first glance had me slamming on the breaks for an urgent stop. In my defense, at second glance I did realize that I had fallen for a cleaver prank! (The sun was also in my eyes, really!)  Below is a photo of my sighting, keep in mind that with a telephoto lens it doesn't look as lifelike as it did as I came around the bend in the distance!

Help!!

Hope you had a chuckle or two, (even at my expense!)

Until next time, Blessings to you all!!

Artistic Block? Let your muse out to play!!

Whenever I find myself focusing on two dimensional projects for any length of time, my muse starts feeling restless and deprived while continually longing for her first love... 3-Dimensional Art!! Time has come to release my creative juices and shift my artistic gears from seeing flat to feeling form!! 

I've had a project idea resting in the wings, waiting for that urge to follow through and give it a try! In recent months, I have acquired a real appreciation for Assemblage Art... it's a wonderful way to justify all of the collecting that I do before someone starts to label me a hoarder!! A few months ago I found some old used children's wooden blocks at a junk sale and scooped them up for less than a dollar. I had just finished an AFA swap making Domino Dolls so I was inspired by the idea that Block Buddies would also be a fun challenge... and as you can imagine, I believe that I was 100% correct!! 

Starting out, I knew the main component to create a Block Buddy would of course be a body made from a wooden block. The next component needed to bring life to your Buddy would be it's head, vital to creating it's own unique personality!! In previous posts, I introduced everyone to my collection of Deadheads (for those who don't know...through the years I have saved the heads off of broken or unsuccessful sculptures that I created, I keep them in a box until I find a new project for them to become a part of!) I was successful in finding two very endearing characters in my stash and they were soon "born again" as Block Buddies!

Wooden Blocks for Buddy Bodies

Box of Deadheads - each hoping to live again!

From this point on, anything goes... Assemble your Block Buddy with a variety of supplies and found objects. The only thing between you and a truly unique work of art full of character, is your imagination. 

Below are my first two Block Buddies... they both stand on their own two feet!

"J" is for Jester aka "Dunceton"

"T" is for Termite aka "Chewy Louie"

 I don't know about you but they just make me smile!?

Thank you for stopping by...
Until next time, Happy Creating!!

Finally... the Chunkier it is, the better it is!!

I recently was gifted some art supplies as a prize in a contest that I participated in. Among those items was a package of blank "chunky pages" that are used to create an aptly named Chunky Book. I had never given much thought to creating a chunky book, the only thing that I knew of them was that their dimensions were a 4"X4" square. Since receiving the blank pages, I set out to find some additional info on what was expected when putting my Chunky together. I saw some wonderful examples by some very talented artists and the main thing that I learned was, just about anything goes!!  The beauty of a chunky book is that it lends itself to any style or medium you choose, it's the perfect mixed media project with embellishments totally welcomed!! 

I decided to jump in and begin to create my very first Chunky Book. After a few mis-starts with me thinking that I needed to create something chunky & stuffed full of mixed media pages, I stepped back to regroup!! I resigned myself to the reality that my first attempt needed to reflect me and my own unique style and so, Janoodle Chunky was started!!

As mentioned in my previous post, my first two chunky pages were created from my ice dyeing project. I decided to use them for the front and back covers of my book. My plan is to keep creating and adding more pages so I decided to use steel rings for binding which will enable me to make it as big as the rings will allow!! (I guess I could even get bigger rings?!)

Front Cover

Back Cover

Bound with Steel Rings that open

Below are photos of my first six inside pages for my Janoodle Chunky. I'm really looking forward to continuing to add pages to this book and hopefully creating another chunky book by experimenting with some new mixed media techniques along the way. 

 

Heat Wave

Breezy

Good? Jinn

Lady Wellington

At a Snails Pace!

Wild Royalty

Below is one last photo showing the Chunky as it opens!

Hope you have gotten inspired to create a Chunky Book 

to showcase your own unique style of artwork... 

 They make wonderful presents, give a gift of your ART!! 

Until next time, Blessings!!

Success or failure... can be in the eye of the beholder!

I'm always game for trying new ideas and experimenting with art techniques. To be perfectly honest,  I admit that I seldom follow any instructions without altering them for my own purposes or visions of "what if I do this?" running through my head. I was recently introduced to some video tutorials on Ice Dyeing Fabric. The results are very interesting, kind of a mix between a watercolor wash and tie-dye. I normally don't use fabric in my style of artwork, so my brain immediately went to thinking of using paper as a substitution... "What if I could Ice Dye paper and use it for Janoodling?" And so, the fun began! 

I began by using 140# watercolor paper. I placed the paper on a wire rack in a shallow pan that would hold the water as the ice melted away. In the original fabric instructions, powdered dyes were sprinkled onto the ice. Since I didn't have any of them on hand (and in my quest for instant gratification), I decided to use the Jacquard liquid dyes that I typically use in my artwork. I sprinkled a few colors on the ice in separate areas in hopes that they would create interesting patterns as they mingled in the melting process! 

Below is a photo of the ice and dye covered paper, awaiting success!

Well, much to my chagrin, I am not always successful in accomplishing the desired results of my visions! In this case I didn't factor in just how much water that the ice would create as it melted. In hind sight I would have realized that the liquid dyes would dilute greatly with that amount of water (I'm used to the vibrant colors they produce in my usual work!). In the end, I was not completely satisfied with the results, which is why I [forgot] to take a photo of the papers. The longer I looked at the results, I saw some areas that I found quite interesting and decided they needed to be salvaged! There were areas that had been totally washed out from the extreme amounts of melted ice water. After the paper was completely dry I came back to just those sections and reworked them with my familiar wash techniques. I am very happy with the results and feel the combining the two techniques created a very desirable effect. I am not discouraged, I have already come up with a few ideas to "tweak" my technique for obtaining more successful results!

Below is a photo of the final results. I ended up using the paper to create "chunky pages" (for a project to be seen in the near future). Please note, the darker outside edges of color, they were created by the ice with the washed out area caused from the excess water. I wish you could see it in person, the high concentration of color on the edge created a marvelous effect!

 Hope this has inspired you to do an experiment, maybe there's a technique you've been wanting to try... go ahead, jump in and make it your own!!

Until next time... Blessings to you all!!

 

Does size really matter?

I just have a quick Show & Tell for you today... I've recently had the opportunity to work in a much larger format than I've become accustomed to when creating ATCs. I successfully ventured out to try my hand at Janoodling on 4"X6" postcards and now I have decided to raise the bar even higher by advancing to an 11"X14" sheet of paper!

Below is a photo to show the size comparison of an ATC Janoodle (top rt.) to a Postcard Super-Size Janoodle (bottom rt.) to my new Mega-Size Janoodle! (left) 
 

3 sizes of Janoodles

Below is a solo view of my latest work, Mega-Size Janoodle... I enjoyed working in this larger format, it presented a challenge to step out of my comfort zone!

"Wild Garden"  Janoodle Style

Detail view of a small area (bottom right corner) 

Soooo Glad you stopped by... Until next time, Ciao!!

Art & History walking hand in hand!

From May through September each year, I am a volunteer and board member of our local Kettle Falls Historical Center. Located along the Columbia River, our interpretive exhibit "People of the Falls" celebrates the rich history of the Colville Confederated Tribes as well as the Hudson Bay Company along with the pioneers, trappers and military personnel that settled into this region.

I do enjoy history, but if anyone knows me, they know that ART is what makes me the happiest. So, it's no surprise that the best role for me to take on at the Center would be to spearhead marketing, advertising and ART related exhibits!

This brings me to today's Historic Show & Tell... we have started an annual marketing competition for the participation of local artists. This is a theme related competition to celebrate a part of history and life along the river. The winning entry will be used as a marketing and advertising tool throughout the next season, such as posters, postcards and advertisements. As a board member, I am exempt from competing for the prize money but I am still able to participate in the accompanying Art Exhibit .

The theme this year is "Salmon". The salmon rich waters of the Columbia River provided a vital food source for Native Americans. With the long winter season of the region, the salmon were dried to provide the needed nourishment to see the tribes through until spring of each year. The Native Americans would prepare huge "Salmon Feasts" in celebration and gratitude for the bounty that the river provided.

It's been awhile since I've created anything much larger than in an ATC sized format, so I did find this a bit of a challenge. The minimum size requirement was 11"X14" so that's what I decided to do. My artwork was inspired by Native American Salish Art, the style represents similar drawings found in this region. Of course, I did take artistic license and made it my own. (Once a Janoodler, always a Janoodler!!)

Below are photos of my original design and of the finished work.

Basic Ink Design

Salmon "Janoodle Style"

Until next time... Happy Creating!!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

One of my favorite things about life in my neck of the woods is living side by side with a variety of critters.  For many years I lived out of town on a small lake, this was an ideal place to observe wildlife as they came down from the treeline in search of water. I never tired of them or lost my enthusiasm to see them as they strolled through my property on their way to the water's edge. Late spring and early summer was a particularly exciting time because of all the critter babies being born. They soon became frequent visitors with their mothers and as the months passed by, there was the added fun of watching how much they grew! Moving into town was very bittersweet for me. For many reasons it was time for the change, but my daily visits from my four-legged neighbors felt like quite a loss. Well, a few years have passed and living in town now feels like home. Much to my surprise and of great joy, I still have four-legged neighbors that come to visit regularly. We have a herd of deer that we affectionately call Townies. I must admit not everyone enjoys having them around, they are a constant source of debate at City Council meetings and no one seems to agree on what can be done to make either side happy!! I suppose if my prize winning roses were being eaten off their stems or my vegetable garden was raided in the night, I too would consider them unwanted pests! I have chosen to just enjoy them and leave the griping to others!!

Speaking of visitors, today Blossom and I were lucky enough to have a new mother and baby resting in the shade of our side yard, they found a refuge from the scorching sun and it's 104 degree temperatures! Below are a few photos that I snapped... Mama never took her eyes off of me or Blossom,  just in case we meant any harm to her little one! 

Nothing compares to Mother's Love!!

Awwwww, all babies are just plain cute!!

Chow Time!

 Until next time, Blessings to you all!

It's official, Summer has arrived!!

Alright everyone, it's time for a little Summertime sing-a-long...

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer!

 

  Then again, there's nothin' better than singin' the blues in the still of a sultry summer night...

 

 Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, Don't you cry

 

(don't you just love the sound of that sax?)

 

 During our intermission, we have a little Postie Show & Tell...

Most of you know that I love to Janoodle, so I thought that I would expand on the size and move from atc's to posties... voila, New Super-Sized Janoodles!! 

Below: photo of backgrounds using Jacquard Dyes, before detail inking

 

Below: photos of 4"X6" Postcard "Super-Sized Janoodles"

 

 

Soooo, this summer when it's a little too hot outside, pour yourself a 

tall glass of iced [whatever] and chill out with your favorite arting project... and don't forget to keep on singin' along the way!!!

 

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city...

 

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city!!

 

 

Until the next time...Enjoy your Summer!

Blessings to you all!!