Whirlwind

Wow!  What a wonder-filled week.  I spent the weekend celebrating the birthday of an adorable little jester!  Oh, the characters who visited my home to help celebrate!  My house was filled with enchanted children, beautiful ladies and chivalrous gentlemen.  All weaved in and out through narrow passageways, smiles abounding.  Tempted by sugary confection, the littlest one couldn’t help but dive right in…

I have been overflowing with ideas for my shadow play.  These enchanting creatures whisper their dreams to me as I work to unveil their charming personalities to the world.  They become a part of an ongoing fairy tale.  Their stories only hinted at, possibly revealed over time.

It is a beautiful day in Michigan.  The proverbial calm before the storm.  The holiday storm, that is.  Very soon, a flurry of activity will begin and continue throughout the year’s end.  It will very likely be filled with elfin magic, marvelous journeys and scrumptious feasts.  I can hardly wait. 

In the meantime, I will be content to laze this day away with my cat Loki, who seems intent on contributing to this page.

Shadow Play

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Shadow is a colour as light is, but less brilliant; light and shadow are only the relation of two tones.

Paul Cezanne

 

I choose not to use many colors when I create my subjects.  It is the use of varying shades that create the 3-dimensional effect I am looking for.  If you view my pieces from across the room, you may believe you are looking at a photograph.  Upon closer inspection, however, you will see it is only an illusion. 

Autumn Walk

I have been enjoying the autumn weather.  I tend to wither when it's too hot and the frigid cold has never been a favorite.  The snowflakes in the air yesterday tell me it is at it's end and I want to post a few pics of my recent walks. 

being sincere

 
                                 *****

A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.   William Dobell


Quite frankly, I don't seem to have enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the ideas that are currently coming my way.  I sometimes wish sleep was optional.  I realize I don't blog as much as I should.  I get caught up in the creative process and although I do take many pics along the way, it usually takes them awhile to make it onto my pages.  Alas, I will try, yet again, to be better. 

 I was frankly a tad disappointed at not winning the CPS Artisan of the Year 2011 contest but in reality I am still thrilled at being one of the finalists.  I did make my goal and will be published in the Jan/Feb issue.  The fact is I don't know if I was ready to be Artisan of the Year because I am just hitting my stride and haven't been creating my unique collages for even a year yet.  I did, however, create the following piece just after finding out the results.  She is a new favorite.

Adding embellishments is becoming easier as I go.  I coffee dyed the vintage lace I used to enhance her skirt. 

 

One of these days, I will receive a comment on one of my posts.  Who will be the first one to break the silence?  All are welcome. 

 

And on that note...

 

 



 

Hope your Halloween was as curious as ours. 

 

Too Shy

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“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid”

Claudia Lady Bird Johnson quote


 I am just beginning to understand why I am drawn to the subjects of my art.  In preparing for a piece, I browse through dozens of vintage photographs and eventually settle upon one that whispers to my soul.  It is only when my piece is finished that it dawns on me that my inner feelings have been captured.  I then realize how connected we all are and despite the fact that my subjects are long departed from this existence, we share a humanity that cannot be denied.

This piece speaks to the unbearable shyness I sometimes feel when I share my work. I began this project just after learning I had been selected as a finalist in Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search 2011 and I had to send my originals out into the world.  A little overwhelming, but also very exciting. 

Perhaps Lady Bird was right, the cure is at hand.  It beckons to me behind the curtain that leads to my studio. 

*****

Something Different

I have been busy with new projects but want to take the time to document a project I am currently working on as well as a fairly recent, very different project that is a tribute to individualism...

First - Some new endeavors:

A work in progress.  This is a little experiment I have been working on for several weeks.  Both the girl and the fish are created from fabric.  Her dress is vintage lace.  I painted the silly sea life and embellished them with some vintage silk yo yo eyes I picked up at a flea market.  Now I think maybe bubbles?

 

Below is a project heralding individualism that I worked on for several months.  It involves a printers drawer, some scrapbook paper, photographs, quotations printed and haphazardly cut and other relevant items.  It was probably the most time consuming project I have done, but I am happy with the results.



Treasure Hunting

Although my studio is already packed with items, I can always find room for a few more vintage items to inspire me.  Estate sale yesterday yielded some excellent finds...

A vintage tin,

A treasure within a treasure!

Many, many vintage buttons and beads.  The price alone gives away their age.   

Thread-a Matic, created to thread needles, and the kicker is it really works!

Vintage thread in yummy colours.

And the icing on the proverbial cake...

Haven't cleaned these up yet but I believe they are antique French lithographs. What a find!

And I do want to introduce my studio companion.

She may seem a tish unfriendly but I assure you, she approves of my endeavors.

and her original