Spring in Maine

There I was minding my own business in the kitchen when I heard some rustling noises outside. I ran to the window and caught this glimpse of the shadow of ...hold on to your hats....THE *WEASTER BUNNY*! (don't ask, that's how we say it in our family) Yes, the Weaster Bunny, made an early trip to my house hiding M&M's and Cadbury Creme Eggs.
I feel fortunate to have been able to adjust my shutter speed quickly enough to catch this slow-mo picture of the bunny before he hopped off into the wild blue yonder. Sorta brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it.

In other news. I truly have been busy in the art studio. I haven't posted the CED 08 stuff because, well, because I've been *slack* in posting. I have done something daily, that's for certain, if you want to prove it I'll mail you my journal where I list all the things I'm doing. :)
Here is a short list:

• fimo clay buttons...I really like Fimo. I just do.


• new recipe testing...a great and exciting thing to do and who doesn't love eating?


• sewing. Yes, my old love is resurfacing. I decided to challenge myself and found a lovely trench coat pattern by McCalls. I dug through the discount fabric bins and found some lovely sky blue stretch twill with electric lime green satin and then a teaser print fabric with a floral/leaf motif that I used for the under collar and such.. Gadzooks, what stitching fun!
  

See the pretty colors? And don't you just love an old fashioned tomato pincushion? Who ever came up with that idea? They deserve a pat on the back.

• I read the Chuck Close Portraits book and was completely smitten. Smitten enough to do a picture in this style. Now mind you, his works are GINORMOUS in size 4' x 6' with 4-6" grids. But I, being the nutcase I am, did an 8 x 11 using a 1/2" grid. I literally couldn't see straight after working on my painting for three hours straight. I looked up and almost fell. He he. The dangers of digging into your own work.


• Music by Dave Mallet, Maine singer/songwriter has pleased me along with American Idols Beatles music night. Can I just say that David Archulatta, the 17 year old, looks almost exactly like Miss Muffett's boyfriend, Lyle. Since Lyle is now serving in the US Air Force and I haven't seen him since October each time David Archulatta sings I well up with tears. But I digress, the point is the Beatles music is amazing to me, even if David A forgot the words to his song. Back to art...


• Mixed Media small works 4 x 6": The next pix is of "An Easy Flower" The ant swinging from a flower stem is an idea from my sketch book that I decided was time to bring out.

• Attended an art opening at the school. That was really cool. The Size Doesn't Matter Show was a so inspirational. I am constantly amazed by other peoples work. Maine artists should check the school link for their calls for art. They do eight shows a year.


• I've been planning my new blog. Yes, my new blog. I've outgrown this one and have something better coming up. Don't look for it until I've settled into my new digs. Maybe I'll launch it in May, it depends on how things shake out.


• More Mixed Media Art...Something Fishy. I really like this 4x6 piece. I did it for fun. It has real fishing line and an actual hook, too.

• Grocery Shopping as a creative endeavor?? Why yes!! The colors and textures and shapes really inspire me to cook at a whole new level. I bought broccoli slaw, fresh organic asparagus, organic beets with attached greens. Color and flavor, yum.


• Planning the walls of my new apartment. My roommate and I are planning the color scheme in the new digs. I'm thinking raspberry, chocolate and tangerine. She's thinking red. HA! We'll work it out. Interior Design is a passion of mine. I will be taking photos for you to see.


• Sewing. Did I mention I love sewing? I made a new colorful backpack, pink and green.


• Sewing. Did I mention I love sewing? I found some amazing tie dyed cotton eyelet for a great new sundress. This is my next project.


• Weaving. I have a school project that calls for "found objects" and "environmental issues" so I wove plastic bags together and am in the process of making a wallet from it. Along with that will be a bubble wrap backpack. Let it be, just don't ask.
• Garden planning. This is all in my head at this point, but planning a garden is a creative endeavor, I'm sure of it.
• My book for illustration class. Shy Jack is in its early stages, but it is a labor of love for my sweet five year old nephew.

There, that's the bulk of my creativity for the last month. Of course I still write almost daily and doodle on everything that is flat. Next week I am moving to Kennebunkport (Maine), I have also moved my 20 year old into his new apartment. I am planning a graduation party, a going away party and a special something for a special someone that I especially can't discuss.

Beyond that I tried on my bathing suit to see if it still fits. Do you think the ribbon in my hair is too much?? Be honest, I can take it.

Last but not least, the Weaster Bunny picture from earlier in the post isn't really the Weaster Bunny. It was only me PRETENDING to be the bunny. I didn't want all you moms running to get your kids and show them a photo of the EB when it was really only me. It would be wrong to try to pull the wool over their eyes. In the photo below you can actually see my arm and hand holding the camera. Yes, I tried to trick you. However, the photo above is really of me in my swimsuit and ballet slippers.


*Here's wishing you and your family a warm and heartfelt Easter Sunday. God bless.

Maine Snow Storm Forces Art Students to Paint

Roof #9, acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas board
Roof # 10, acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas board
Roof #11 acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas board

The snow here in Maine is crazy big. Crazy I say. I haven't seen this much snow in years. My back aches and my shovel cries when I just think about moving all of it. But, when life gives you snow storms make lemonade, right? The saying goes something like that.

Tuesday night the Heartwood gang decided it was Cranium night. We ordered pizza and sat around the dorm's kitchen table and played a rousing game involving acting, drawing with your eyes closed, humming and other oddities. It was fun and my team won. As we entertained ourselves inside the storm brewed outside. Soon I was snowed in.

All's well, the Heartwood teacher lives down the road a mile or two and she determined if we made the coffee she would come over and do the weekly critiques. Yes, small Maine colleges can do this kind of thing. We are on the tail end of a three week intensive course and the many snowstorms we've endured this season has created some major interruption and we needed to get at it and get it done!

Borrow a pillow, lend a blanket, steal a towel and toothpaste and VOILA I am a ready made pajama party~ The next day I was first up and first to break out the paints. By noon the teacher had made it out of her very snowed in driveway and was on her way over. I'd done one and a half paintings by then and it was critique time.

For me this intensive has been painful. I don't consider myself a painter even though I do paint. I have a steep and dangerous learning curve going on and it is, in one word...PAINFUL. I don't like my results and I'm kind of scared to post them here, but I'm going to do it for the sake of art and for the sake of CED08.

SIZE DOESN'T MATTER is a lovely art show coming up at Heartwood. Heartwood, by the way, has a public gallery. They do four shows of local artists and a smattering of shows of students and faculty. SIZE DOESN'T MATTER is an annual event and is a well attended show. A few students, a few local artists and some faculty show in this one. All pieces are under 25 square inches. It runs February 18-March 21 with the opening reception being February 20 at 4:00. If any of you New Englanders want to meet me there, just speak up I am at School on Wednesday's anyway so it would be great fun!

On the homefront things are settling down. I believe I have located my new digs. I believe I have sold my restaurant. I believe life is starting anew. The power of positive thinking, following my intuition and listening to the ever present inner voice has served me well. I'm coming out of hiding soon, blasting out of my self-imposed prison.

This elephant jammed into a box was a fun little thing I did while viewing When Harry Met Sally. Yeah, I'm a little slow about getting caught up with my movie watching.

And oh, Happy Valenetine's Day! I hope you got something sweet from someone sweet. I had fun making some greeting cards for the special folks in my life, and who doesn't love Dove chocolates?

Catching Up on Art Every Day

Hi Everyone! I haven't fallen away, just been busy getting a grip on the holidays and whatnot. Life sure is a whirlwind sometimes but at least I've been able to be creative every day. I don't think I can properly share all the creativity I've put out to the Universe lately but I can at least share these with you... Enjoy.

More sketches from my work days. Negative space. Positive space. A copy of a coffee cup from a Bully Hill Wine poster. A bird design from one of our Italian chicken pitchers at the cafe. Nothing too difficult here, just keeping my hand and brain busy whilst I wait for the first table of guests to arrive.








Oooooh. Fufillment. Another Klimt piece. This one is again one inch by one and one half inches big (or small). I really enjoy doing these little take-offs. Fun. Challenging. More to come, I'm sure of it.
















Pink fimo beads, hand blended and layered in a pretty variation of pink/reds and smacking with yellow and white. See here the beads, pins and pendant potential!

I also got busy making holiday fimo pins with rhinestones and crystals. I have hats and trees. If you are interested they are available for sale. 1-1 1/2" tall for $8 each I'll be happy to pop one in the mail to you.











Sewing. *sigh* How I love my sewing machine. I took the old girl out and set her up. See, it's like this. I have to do a very homemade Christmas so I hit the big JoAnn Fabric black Friday sale and came out with some real purty things.
Ol' Miss Muffet wants to have a pink kitchen some day so I decided to make an oven mitt, four coasters and a matching apron to go along with some pink coffee mugs. It will make her sweet smile shine. (Okay, that and a Louis Vuitton fake duffle that her Dad will pick up for her, he he).

Speaking of Miss Muffett, here she is!! This is one of her senior pix. She doesn't like this photo but I think it's great. Love the red in her hair, wish I could get mine to do that!

Danny Brother won't let me take his photo. Wish I could show you how cute he is, too. Tall, dark and handsome.













Remember the handmade Christmas I mentioned?? Here is more oven mitts and hot pads. These will got to Cindy-Lou-Who my loverly sister in law, my former Mom-in-law who still thinks I'm that cats pajamas, my dear Mama and one set will go on sale here at my website. I love the muted country colors of these and gosh-darn don't I love polka dots and dingle balls.

Well there, that's it for now. I really did do other creative things, like baking dark chocolate thumprint cookies, onion tainted mashed potatoes, a poster for Thanksgiving at the college, poetry and a whole mish-mash of things.

I hope you're well. I'm wishing you cozy autumn nights by a blazing fire with sketchbook in hand and cocoa in the other. Enjoy this blessed season.

I Saved the Best for Last...scroll down.

You may remember that I started this Tarot card last week. I poked at it a few times over the last few days. I added some watercolor pencils strokes that need to be played with using my brushes. This one, as I mentioned before, is a work in progress.

Day 8

More Vespa sketches from the restaurant, on the days I work this is all I can muster.

Day 9

Now remember the Red Shoe entry I did? I started going wild with shoe sketches so these next three have a theme going. How about these bunny slippers? There seems to be a shadow on the scan, but you get the gist of it.

Day 10

More slippers. More bunnies. How many of us tired mothers put on a pair of pink fluffy slippers when we get home and our feet are aching? I don't usually bother to remove my socks, I leave them on, stripes and all.

I kind of wish I hadn't gotten so bold with my charcoal, but what's done is done.

Day 11

Blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Can't you hear the King sing? This one was really fun to make and in person it's a great piece. The scanner isn't doing it justice.

Day 12

Save the best for last, right? Yesterday the art school went on a group field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Amtrak and then the Green Line subway got us there. We had a super time taking in the work of the Masters and some amazing modern day artists including a huge wall mural by actor Dennis Hopper.

Many times I caught myself with mouth agape. Being in the presence of these important pieces of work left me kind of numb.

One of my favorite artists is Gustav Klimt because of the emotions that I feel when see his work. I literally get all wrapped up in his this painting looking at the loving embrace and the peace in her face as he lovingly puts his lips to her cheek. Oh *sigh*...it's so beautiful.

So this painting is NOT in Boston, it is Vienna, but the museum store sells a silk scarf with this painting on it and in the store the scarf is framed. I kept going back to it and going back to it and going back to it. Subconsciously, that which we find ourselves attracted to is usually our soul speaking to us. "Pay attention, Tammy, what is the message here?" And I know the answer to my reaction of this painting but won't reveal it here.

I came home and googled some more of Klimt's work. I now have a goal to buy a reproduction of this and other Klimt works. His style is something that truly resonates with me. I need to read more of his history.

I printed a pix of his The Kiss work and laid it in front of me and got busy.

This is my version of the kiss. I thought I'd challenge myself. This work is... 1" x 1 1/2" ....yes, for you who are bad with numbers....one inch by one and one half inches... I did it on a scrapbookers chipboard piece. Gesso, acrylic, colored pencil and marker. Looking at it in this size isn't so great, but when it's so tiny in real life, it's a great take off! It took me about three hours start to finish and I'm certain his original painting took him three months to finish, but I am happy with my result.

Today Klimt, tomorrow.....Renoir?