The Challenge Continues

Here I go again, my entries for AEDM. Leah says anything goes and Monday's don't generally go so great therefore I opted for a quick doodle before dashing off to my job. It's just a doodle but I wanted to prove to the Universe that I am really trying to do Art Every Day. I mean it.

so this is it...Day 5

Now this is a bit more interesting. In Color & Design class Tuesday the Teach finally let us do the hands on thing. We are having to prove our knowledge of mixing colors, this time with Fimo clay. We started with red, blue, yellow black and white and had to blend from there. Once our chosen colors were mixed she showed us jelly rolls and how to make specific patterns. Now I am in love with all things pink therefore I was pretty pleased with the pink, lime green and chocolate beads but I got lots of oohs an ahhs from the black sunflower beads I made. The smaller black stained glass pattern is interesting as well and I would choose it for my second favorite. Do you see the round disk? That is the large pattern that is inside of the black sunflower beads. I reduced it four times. Fimo is fun and slightly painful for these cold, Maine hands. I actually had bruises on the pads of my palms. Whaaaaah! Day 6

Cloth, Paper, Scissors to the rescue! I love that publication and always manage to try at least one project and get inspired by many others. This month I decided to try Miss Kelly Rae's method for producing art. I have long been curious about HOW she did it. Mind you, I don't have interest in reproducing her fabulous angel/girls, but I did want to know about her methods and now I can really play with it!

This red shoe is inspired by two things: Miss Muffetts love affair with shoes and Paul Simons Graceland album (I adore both Miss Muffett and Graceland). There are layers of scrapbooking paper which you can't see well on the scan and then I painted the child-like foot and shoe using Miss Muffetts favorite chunky heeled style and then added glitter diamonds to the soles like the song: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, my fave song off the album. All in all in real life it's a great piece. I'm not convinced it's museum worthy but some art is for self, right? RIGHT! And oh, this shoe piece is 6 x 8 on watercolor paper and involves some effy, charcoal, acrylic and glue.

I was on a role yesterday!! I love to keep little scraps of watercolor paper hanging about the studio (neatly organized of course) so while I was on a tear with Kelly Rae's method I decided to do an underpainting with the scrapbooking papers again. Then, having seen UllaBanulla's blog yesterday I was enamored with the loose Spencerian style of writing and thought I'd try a bird using a minimal amount of strokes. Tah-Dah. Tiny little birdie is 4 x 6 with all of the same ingredients as the shoe piece, and hey, oddly enough, no words on this one and I really love to add words. Hmmm, very strange.

So the shoe and the bird quantify my Day 7 art and truthfully I also worked on two larger pieces that were undone. But since I lost the chord to my camera I can't transfer pix to my computer until I locate it. So no pix....

The best art of all. Miss Muffet used to LOVE to sit and use the Paint program on my computer. She made millions of digital doodles. This little piggy face is of my pot-bellied pet Abby Rose. I cut it out and keep her little face taped on my computer but beyond that....as I was unpacking from the big move I located one of Hill's many love notes to me. This is from when she was about nine or ten. *sigh* ...sniff, sniff... I showed it to her last night and she just laughed and shook her head. Harumph, KIDS!

Hey, I'm doing all right with the AEDM so far. How are all of you doing? Keep on keeping on... till next time.

Art Every Day contributions...

What follows is my entries for Art Every Day Month as suggested by dear Leah. I apologize that they are not full blown attempts at canvases or magnificent pieces of jewelry. I am happy if I get in a sketch or manage to complete my art homework as you will see by my images below.

Day One: I decided a while ago to design my own tarot deck with personal symbology and images. This is the first card and how synchronistic that I started it on day one of AEDM. The card is The Fool, number 1 in the traditional tarot deck. I have begun the first layer of color. You will watch as this watercolor image grows to be a many layered piece.

Day Two and Day Three:

Vespa sketches. Yes, when I should be washing down tables at my waitressing job I spend my time sketching the Vespas that hang from the walls. My boss collects them and I find them fascinating, so I sketch them on the back of scrap paper. I plan to do some art based on these sketches.

Day Four:

Complimentary Colors homework assignment. This is not my best work but it was a neccessary to prove my knowledge of blending colors. I finished this today and it took forever and I don't love it, but I need the grade!!

This is it for now ladies. I'm moved into my new crib and I have a HUGE studio space until the end of April at which time I become mobile again. Two more classes for this semester.

I'm ever transient for now.

Sweet Innocence

I took a very special handsome friend to the Artwalk in nearby Gardiner on Friday night. We had a lovely time strolling the sidewalks and popping in to various shoppes for a look-see. At one location we struck up conversation with a photographer.

I had stepped away to look at something on the opposite side of the room and headed to the door where my special someone caught up to me and escorted me downstreet.

R to me: What kind of medium do you use?

Me to R: Many, I do mixed media things mostly! Why?

R to me: AAH, oh. (sounding kind of sheepish)

Me to R: What just happened?

R to me: Well I had to tell the photographer you were an artist and then she asked me what kind of medium you used.

Me to R: So what did you tell her?

R to me: I answered yes and walked out.

Well my friends, he tried! And I only snickered for ten minutes.

Holding My Own Hand

...the last time she was spotted she was seen walking down Lover's Lane holding her own hand.

Ain't loving yourself grand??? The above quote is altered just a tad. It was originally said with "HE" but I'm a "SHE" so I took artistic license. Anyway, a dear friend suggested that I respectfully command & demand what I needed to make myself more comfortable in my new job. Well with a lump in my throat and wobbly knees (because this takes practice) I did what she suggested. So things are getting better at work...and I loved myeself for doing what I needed.

**Art wise I was approached by a dealer to show her some of my things.

**I have been meeting some really intriguing people and in turn asking myself what these people have to do with my future

**Color and Design class is still all about values, tints, shades and neutrals. EE gads! I 'm ready for the more heady stuff but have been keenly interested in attending because of the interesting 19 year olds who create lively conversation with me and help me to learn more about my own two teens.

**Jewelry class is done for now. I made a ring, bracelet and two pendants but I didn't love the class so will move on to another medium.

**Bought a new Chevy Aveo. Tiny little box on wheels, it's bright yellow and gets 37 mpg which I need because my school is 100 miles one way.

Thinking of you my bloggy friends and am anxious to be on track again.

Gone for a bit...

Okay, it's like this... We have closed the cafe and put it on the market and now I am working like a dog at a bigger restaurant, still doing the art school thing, running the hotel and trying hard to maintain a relationship with two teens who are running about. That and the new classes I'm teaching are keeping me kind of busy. Oh, and I have to move in three weeks so I started packing yesterday.

My router broke so I have no e-mail and I swung into my Dad's place to borrow his computer so that I could at least post a quickie on my blog.

Sorry this isn't more positive but for now it's all I have. I am manifesting a better life and this little bump in the road can't keep this old dog down. Gotta run, you won't hear from me for a bit, but I'll be back eventually.

Boy, when I step away from the computer....

5 x 7 " on acrylic on canvas...USE AN ALTERNATE ROOT...a play on words, what are you growing with your thoughts? My tree offers: possibilities, suprising gentleness, sensational income, friends, riches, sweet relationship, affectionate dispotion, beautiful love.

I really do step away. I have been busy wrapping things up, going to class, being a Mom, and creating some really neat things.

Heartwood is great. Classes with eighteen year olds and classes with sixty year olds, classes taught by women artists of all ages...this is defintely a new life experience for me. I watched quietly as a young teen in my Color & Design class came down off a drug induced high. I was scared and sad. I pet Pencil the college mascot, a brindle colored greyhound. I eat in the community kitchen, powerwalk during my lunch break, get pizza and beer in the evening before my last class and arrive home to my bed at around 10:45.

• Art History is suprisingly interesting. I expected boring and dry and much to my suprise I am excited and hungry for more.


• Color & Design is filled with young chatter box kids who think it's gross to be naked if you are over sixty. They make me laugh and realize who silly I must hav been at that age, too. Beyond that we are doing the repititive black and white value stuff. Basic, basic. See pointalist drawing below (ugh).

• Jewlery Design has too many students and not enough work stations so it is hurry up and wait time. My eyes burn because by this time it is 8:30 at night and I am working with tiny little things up close to my nose.

Did I mention yet the really good time I had with Jes, Mindy, Leah, Heidi and Susan? Wow!! I feel like I've known these ladies forever. I so enjoyed doing the collaborative pieces, the piece I own is called Oz and everyone here loves it!! I'm a little jealous about the flea marketing session that I couldn't attend. I looked at all the pix online and ooooooh, didn't we look like we were having fun!

Today I'm off to the Artisan's Barn, a sweet little post and beam building in a nearby town that displays and sells local artisan's work. I'm going to see if they'll take my things.

Look for more school art soon... In the meantime I need to catch up on blog reading. toodles!

Off to see the wizard...

It popped into my head so I entered it as a title. I'm off tomorrow to hang with Jes, Leah, Mindy, Heidi and maybe Susan. I think it will be so wonderful! In the meantime great gratitudes to the Beautiful Mystery for the following wonders in my life:

• my 19 year old son and his new found wings, please join me in blessing his virgin flight into the real world... go danny go.
• my sweet 17 year olds first month at a new school during her last year of public education...shake on, miss muffet.
• a dear friend who has become my rock, how lucky for me, heavy for her that she is a counselor and is able to help me through some truly difficult times and still we find for laughing and learning...bless you, rhonda!!
• R...delicious smelling, handsome, kind & gentle & understanding, and deep voice that makes my tummy flip when I hear it
• Art...madness ensues and always there is the creative spark to soothe me, calm me, & help me lose myself in "the process", some great pieces have developed.
• my bed...always i am amazed at the comfort i feel as i fall into the loft of my mattress. i am never too proud to shout "I LOVE BED!" The days are long and the nights are short, so in my house you'd hear this quite a lot.

All is well and all is well, and all in time will be well.

*sigh*

And oh, Heartwood College of Art begins Tuesday...art history, color I and jewelry making.