Making Art

We are into week three of the Visual Journaling workshop with Pam Carriker. Pam is having us recycle our artwork. I am making slow progress, but combining it with the Sketchbook Challenge. The theme for January in that is Highly Prized. I started with a colored pencil sketch I had made of my children dressed up for Halloween when they were little. I copied the drawing (which I had to go over with my pencils first, as it was too light), glued it to 140# watercolor paper, and got part of the way through her instructions for week two. So far, I have used gesso, charcoal pencil, oil pastels, and watercolor brush pens. It is forcing me to be more mindful of techniques and the order in which I use the different media. Here is a look at the current status of the piece.

This is proving to be a great way to stretch myself out of my comfort zone and try new (to me) techniques.

While I am at it, I have to share a link to information about an exhibit my daughter is having: Urban Abstractions. As I have mentioned before, she is an artist in her own right. After you've checked on the exhibit, take a look around her website. She works in a variety of media and has some beautiful pieces.

I hope that you are enjoying new things, stretching out of your comfort zone, and living life to the fullest. Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.

Best Laid Plans

As often happens, our best laid plans get sidetracked or changed in ways we don't expect. I have been working on my sketchbook, but not as often as I'd hoped. In addition, I'm learning lots of new things about the Internet and programs like Flickr, some have surprised and frustrated me. However, I am trying to roll with it and count it as a learning experience.

One very pleasant experience that came out of my setting up the blog and letting friends and relatives know is that a relative send me pictures of a quilt my Grandmother Barbara made. It appears to be from the 1930's and may have been a kit, but it was a welcome surprise. In addition, of course, I get to share them with you.

Note the embroidered kitty faces at the centers of the flowers.

The quilt has been used by eight babies, and my relative tells me it is "almost 70 years old." It amazes me how well it has weathered the use and the years.

May you have pleasant surprises in your life and experience peace and all good.

New Year - New Experiences

Happy New Year to everyone!

For me, today marks the beginning of the Sketchbook Challenge and an online Visual Journaling Workshop with Pam Carriker. Ideas are percolating and bubbling over! I expect it will be a fun learning experience and provide me with lots of new material for my artwork. I hope that your new year provides many happy new experiences and lots of joy!

I invite you to:

Treasure the Little Things!

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.

Plans for a New Year

The new year is almost upon us. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year will bring a number of changes. One significant change is that, in July, I will be "retiring" from my current day job. It is my plan to expand my artistic pursuits and build The Butterfly Bush business. I also plan to do more social justice work and writing, again. All quite exciting and scary. I am reminded of dreams I used to have about stepping off tall buildings, with the accompanying fear, only to find I could fly. I hope you will continue to check in with me to see my progress, as well as give me feedback on it.


The babies and their parents saw the quilts (still in process) at our family Christmas celebration. So, I feel I can share them, now. Mykaela was quite interested in the bright colors of hers, and Kaden was content to be with Mama and take everything in. Obviously, there is still a little work to be done on each of them, but they will get them in time to make them "dragging around blankets."

Mykaela's quilt

Kaden's quilt

Now, too, I will be able to move on to other creative pursuits. I will be spending this week (blessed holiday break time from the day job) in my studio, experimenting with techniques, and getting organized for the new year. On January 1, I will begin participating in the Sketchbook Challenge. (The button for it is on the right.) It looks like a lot of fun, with some super artists leading the way. Check them out.

• Jill Berry
• Sue Bleiweiss
• Laura Cater-Woods
• Jane Davies
• Jamie Fingal
• Judi Hurwitt
• Leslie Tucker Jenison
• Lyric Kinard
• Jane LaFazio
• Kelli Perkins
• Carol Sloan
• Carla Sonheim
• Susan Sorrell
• Melanie Testa
• Diana Trout
• Violette

It seems like the perfect way to charge up the creative juices and explore new techniques. I hope you will check it out and join in.

Finally, I plan to post more often. Unfortunately, the silence of the last few weeks was unavoidable, but I am planning to post once a week in the new year.

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.

Anticipation

It has been a strange couple of weeks. Our Thanksgiving celebration ended up being on the Saturday after the holiday, which threw off my Christmas preparations. (I refuse to do "Black Friday" shopping.) I've missed every art and craft show I usually go to at this time of year. Since I normally get much of my Christmas shopping done at them, and hope to help the artists who show at them a little, that saddens me. However, I did have time with my children and grandchildren, have almost finished the binding on my granddaughter's quilt, and enjoyed the birthday celebration.

I also had a delightful experience the day before Thanksgiving. My current day job is in a location that is on the migration path of sandhill cranes. I was fortunate to get some pictures of cranes riding a thermal. Even at that distance, you can hear them calling as if they are right next to you. Considering that, however, they must be awfully loud! Fortunately, their call is like a trill and very melodic.

This is a picture of a large part of the flock.

 

What surprised me, however, was how wonderfully close I was able to zoom in on them after I uploaded the pictures to my computer.

I have been following Melanie Testa's blog, and was reminded of this shot when I saw her post, "I Listen" http://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/archives/2010/11/i-listen.html. Inspiration is piling up around me, so that I am anxiously awaiting free time in my studio to play. It will come soon.

Right now, my world is covered in snow. A storm system came in last night, depositing enough to cover everything in a thick powder and line the branches of the trees. The squirrels have left their tracks through the yard, and little boys are trying to make money shoveling. I've been taking advantage of the desire to stay in the warmth of a cozy house, working on a few presents, and trying to catch up on my "To Do" list.

I hope that you are enjoying a cozy home, happy anticipation of time with friends and/or family, and time to relax. Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.

Holiday Prep

I am always amazed at the swift passage of time during Fall. My plans always include a number of gifts for family and friends. (As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a large family.) Sadly, it also seems I never have enough time to do as much as I would like to do.

This year, I am busy making quilts for the latest editions to our family - our twin grandchildren. Since I want to be sure they get them before they outgrow them, just about all other creative items have been put on the side. I am making progress, however, and will show them to you after I have given them to the babies. (I want to make sure their Mommy and Daddy are a little surprised. I'm sure the babies won't be checking my blog this year.)

Also high on my list of preparations is our Thanksgiving celebration. This year, we will also be celebrating three birthdays on that day. It makes for a very happy time and a lot to be grateful about, as well as careful consideration of each person's favorite things. At the same time, we will be missing some people around our table because of losses over the last year. I hope that you are looking forward to the holidays with happy anticipation. If you are not, however, I want to extend my promise that I will be thinking of you and wishing you well as you work through whatever is keeping you from doing so.

I want to leave you with one of my favorite photos, taken while we were visiting family in Arkansas. I hope you enjoy!

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.

Fine Art of Fiber

Thanks to my daughter, Jessica, an artist in her own right (http://www.flyngypsyarts.com/), I was made aware of the Fine Art of Fiber show at the Chicago Botanic Garden this weekend. We made a day of it, yesterday, and enjoyed the output of Weavers Guild of the North Shore, Illinois Quilters, Inc., and North Suburban Needle Arts Guild members, as well as the fall gardens. You can see more about the show at http://www.fineartoffiber.org/ and http://www.chicagobotanic.org/fiber/index.php.

Here are a few of my pictures from the show:

Debby Danford Wada gave a fascinating lecture on Japanese textiles.

Art dolls, jewelry, hand bound books, and felted items.

Jessica's favorite quilt in the show.

A selection of the diversity of styles and techniques shown.

Some of the wonderful woven items.

All in a beautiful setting.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and show. I am already looking forward to the next one. Lots of inspiration and beauty all around. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the experience.

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.