Heart Felt Art

Thanks, Fannie

2009-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to give this a try after seeing Fannie's wonderful images on her blog. (Imagine, Create, Inspire - link in sidebar) I took a photo and a painting and combined the two in Photoshop.

Do you recognize this Hilo frog, Fannie?

Holy Week

2009-04-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't made much progress on my purse lately. I did complete two pieces for the church gallery for Holy Week. We are having something similar to the Stations of the Cross. I have found it hard to take good pictures of the paintings because of the glare from either a flash or other light source, but here's the best I have, including the "inspirations" that will be posted with each piece. I also have problems with the canvases appearing distorted, no matter where I seem to stand or the angle. And, yes, there is also a spelling mistake on Censored - I didn't double check that my new toy (a label maker) had punched all the letters.

Pass Over

In thinking about Passover, I wondered anew at the significance of the lamb’s blood on the doorposts. When God saw the blood, he passed over those homes. It wasn’t that the families in those homes were nicer, richer, more intelligent or even more moral. The only thing that mattered was the blood.

In my life, I am sometimes tempted to believe that Bible reading, prayer and church attendance put me in better standing with God. Perhaps if I give all I have to the poor or volunteer regularly at the church. But the only thing that matters is whether the doorposts of my heart are covered by the blood of Jesus.

CENSORED

Not by the church, but by the artist.

An accurate depiction of Christ’s suffering contains objectionable material: Intense, Graphic Violence, Blood and Gore, plus Nudity. Not my style at all.

Plus, I am squeamish. I couldn’t watch such inhumane torture of anyone. But my sinless, loving Savior taking those lashes for me... I cannot fathom. I don’t want to imagine. Roman torture was brutal; shards of metal, bone and glass ripped at the flesh. And those thorns! Injury on top of insults for our King.

All for me. I can’t bear to watch.

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thy only crown,
How art Thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinner’s gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ‘Tis I deserve Thy place;
Lord on me with Thy favor, vauch-safe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever! and, should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee!

Vista House #1

2009-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Five years ago I altered a photo of the Vista House at Crown Point (about 24 miles east of Portland, OR) to look like a vintage postcard and used iron on transfer paper to put the image on white canvas in order to make a tote/purse. (Notice I also removed the trash bin and fence) I bought Blue canvas and a blue batik for the sides, handles and lining. Then I got interrupted. The project was packed up, surfacing only long enough to dole out some guilt from time to time.

Recently, I pulled the picture panels out. My regular purse broke and I thought this would be a great excuse to finish the Vista House purse. Unfortunately, I could only find the photo panels and the lining. I don't know if I used the canvas for another project, gave it away one time when purging my stash or if it is still amid the clutter strewn about as I continue renovating my studio.

I gave up on the canvas and decided on recycled denim instead. I actually think I'll like this better. I need to complete the machine and hand embroidery, add some embellishments and finish construction, but it's started. (I had to put it on hold again when I realized that April starts this week and I have an artist deadline at church on Thursday for our Easter exhibit!)

Time flies...

2009-03-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wow. I cannot believe it has been over 3 months since I have posted!! Yikes! First, it was the holidays, then my away-at-college daughter came home for a few weeks in January. Busy times at work and before you know it, 3 months flies by!

I've been inventing recipes. (These are my stuffed mini-peppers.) My goal is to lose a total of 65 pounds this year (I've lost 12 so far) and I'm tracking my water, nutrition and fitness goals on SparkPeople.com. I can make my own recipes and SparkRecipes.con will compute the nutrition per serving. It makes me much more conscious in my decision making.

I took my daughter and granddaughters to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Lots of great photo opportunities; took mostly video.

I did do some art. Here, I took one of my painted hearts from 2007 and altered it in Photoshop to make a digital valentine to post on Facebook.

Mostly, my free time (when I have the mental and physical energy) is still focused on the seemingly never-ending job of renovating my studio.
All this and much more came out when I painted and assembled new storage. My rule has been that until it has a designated and organized "home" it doesn't go back in! I did well early on, but when my older daughter and granddaughters house sat for me over Christmas break, I had to "shove" many things back into the room temporarily. Now, I'm taking things out and sorting again. It is overwhelming much of the time, but I am making progress.

Merry

2008-12-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've come down with a cold, so just now posting Wednesday's and Thursday's circles. (I didn't make any on Friday and probably won't today. I hope to feel better and get back to work tomorrow.)

Christmas is Coming

2008-12-02T20:32:00.001-08:00

Monday's circle started with doodle painting and evolved into this holiday themed treasure. Now I'm inspired to make my daily circles focus on Christmas for the next few weeks.

Funny, the name of that deep pink paint is "Christmas Rose." I guess the paint knew before I did what the topic would be!

Ode to a Postcard

2008-11-30T18:12:00.001-08:00

The theme is Black and White and Read (Red) All Over. They are late being sent, but while I was decorating the cards, I deviated a bit and made a circle to commemorate them. I may forget to take a photo of the cards, so this way I have at least a bit of a record!

I thought of the old joke - and started making paper fabric including some of the main answers to that joke. Once I started to assemble the cards, I realized I didn't have enough, so had to redirect and use the fabric for an accent. Then, added just one more (and the most delicious) answer: a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top!

Black Friday?

2008-11-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

Mine was pretty colorful! I don't generally hit those ultra-early sales, unless there is something significantly discournted that I plan to buy anyway. I did venture out around 9 am and hit some of my favorite craft and thrift stores. I managed to buy a few presents and stocking stuffers, but embarrassingly, most of the goodies were just for me!
One of my most extravagant purchases was a set of richly toned embossing powders. I wanted to add a few colors to my meager stash, but they didn't have a big selection and each 1 0z. jar was over $3. With my 40% off coupon, the set of 16 half-ounce vials was only $17.99. Sure, it cost a bit more, but the colors... Oh! the colors! Very deep, rich colors! More my style than the few pastels on the shelf. I put back some of my other splurges so I wouldn't overindulge too much.

You can see some of the rich colors on yesterday's circle. I took the embossing pad and pressed just the corner, embossed and then repeated a little distance away. It had lots of texture, but when I covered it all with a thick coat of clear, they softened and blended. I still like it, but I think next time I will use the diamond glaze and retain some of that texture.

I hope your "Black Friday" had some colors just for you!

Family Circle

2008-11-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today I used a different type of tool... my granddaughter!

Kady chose some heart stickers and a few colors of permanent markers to use on the gesso covered chipboard. I added a metallic swash and colored the edges purple. Kady was fascinated with the diamond glaze. Nothing beats creating with family!

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T20:07:00.001-08:00

#12

I spent the morning and early afternoon with my older daughter and my two granddaughters. We engaged in a great family tradition - eating donuts while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The 4 year old was thrilled with all the balloon characters. The baby just wanted to be held and fed. I know my other daughter and my mom were visiting the extended family down in California. (I"ll be seeing them for Christmas.) I am so thankful for my family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

#10

"M-I-C... See ya real soon..." I just wanted something easy, so started with scrapbooking paper and finally used that ultra-sticky red tape I had to adhere the micro-beads.

#11

This circle will not end up on my walls like most will. This one is a gift. The recipient may see this blog, so I want it to remain a secret until they have unwrapped it for themselves. Then, the "normal" image of the circle will be posted.

Inked Foil Tape

2008-11-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

Aluminum tape (from the hardware store) over shaped bits of tape and then covered with alcohol inks. A bit of dry brushed metallic blue and some spots of embossing powder. All covered with diamond glaze. Colorful, huh?

Number 8

2008-11-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Wow. This one is more interesting blown up from the scan than in its real 1 inch size. Some of the same embossing powder and metallic paints. Added some micro-beads in glue in the middle. Added the heart because it needed something. I'm not sure that was "it," but that's how it goes with experimenting.

Craters?

2008-11-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

Friday's experiment was to use something other than the tacky embossing pad or pen to adhere those embossing powder crystals. I grabbed the closest thing, some craft glue intended to secure "jewels" to fabric.

To backtrack a bit, I began with the idea of making a paisley-type design with micro-beads and glitter embedded into the embossing powder. I drew a rough paisley shape with the embossing pen directly onto the chipboard. I was to lazy to prime with gesso and the result was that the pen mostly absorbed into the cardboard, leaving little to grab the powder. I was left with a few clear puddles that also partly absorbed into and discolored the cardboard. A mess.

Figuring it was too late to prime, that's when I grabbed the glue and filled in my rough paisley shape. I sprinkled embossing powder into the glue and decided to see what would happen if I used my heat gun to melt the powder and dry the glue all at the same time. Would it just seal over or would it be like the old candles we made by pouring the wax over bits of ice? (You DO remember doing that, right? If not, just wait and that "retro" craft will make a comeback and you can try it!)

The glue and powder fizzled and bubbled! I loved it! Then, I painted with some russet and gold metallic paints and speed-dried with the heat gun. All the embossing powder under the paint bubbled and blistered. Cool! I played with adding more powder and more paint and more heat. Here is the result. All finished with diamond glaze for that glossy finish I'm going for in this group of work.

PS: Please note that all my circles look way better in person than scanned or photographed. I can't seem to get the right angle to show the colors and gloss without too much reflection.

Snow

2008-11-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it isn't quite cold enough outside to snow, yet, but Thursday's circle hints at the weather to come.

Circle is base coated with gesso, then a rubber stamped a snowflake and embossed with ultra thick clear embossing powder. An embossing pen was used to write the word "snow" and it was also embossed. The entire piece was painted with (what else) metallic blue paint. After drying, I rubbed briskly to remove the paint from the embossed areas and reveal the images. Finished with a nice coat of diamond glaze.

Circles

2008-11-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

It's been hard to "do" art lately with my materials and supplies spread throughout the house. The studio is now painted and the major furniture pieces are built. I'm still adding a few shelves to the closet and need to re-attach the peg boards, but things are starting to be functional. Yippee!!

I wanted something artsy on the walls. I thought of all manner of border possiblities (from fabric swatches to tissue paper to ceramic tile and more), but when my eyes fell on the chipboard circles at Craft Warehouse the bells and whistles went off. I will be creating groupings of various sized circles in several places in the room. So, just about daily I am decorating circles using various techniques. Each is finished with a high gloss coat of Diamond Glaze or ultra thick clear embossing powder. I may use polyurethane and/or resin in the future, too. (I was interested to note that there are glossy little design circles given on Facebook called Flair. That is kind of what will be on my walls.)

The circles are various sizes, so if I only have a little time I can choose a smaller circle! The fun part is that I get to play with a variety of materials and mediums. I have so far used paper packing tape, acrylic paints (some metallic, of course), ink, glitter, mica powder and fabric. Yesterday's is my favorite so far, that is why it begins this blog! (3" chipboard circle, fabric, rubber stamping, metallic paint, metallic marker)

My Latest Art

2008-11-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

This year I have to teach US History. Me and History, friends? Not really. So, teaching it again (I muddled through two years ago) stands as a challenge to my days. The four boys in my class are nearly non-readers, so there is no "read chapter 5 tonight, we'll have a quiz tomorrow" kind of lessons. Everything must be basic and clear in class.

After struggling through a month and getting nowhere, I had to rethink my entire approach to teaching this class. I looked at the state required standards for history. I looked through the textbook I was given. I knew I couldn't teach the entire book, so tried to decide the important concepts.

About this time I finally found an old suitcase to alter, though it was a bit larger than I had wanted. Right there in the Goodwill checkout line it hit me! I would use my altered suitcase and create a Kidspace style model inside to represent our topic. It would be hands-on and visual for my students and I would also have fun!

Our first topic is immigration. Here is the grand tour...

All those old books and magazines I've collected donated the outside photos. Those who know me will quickly notice the paint - metallics: russet and gold. The maps and other pictures inside were culled from weeks of internet research. (I found the best historic map site! (David Rumsey Map Collection)

I introduced the suitcase yesterday and let them explore. I told them nothing except everything inside goes together; they had to guess what it was all about. They were not to discuss their guesses with each other. When they had an idea, they came to my "booth" and described what they thought. I gave a prize to the one who guessed the closest.

Today, they began identifying the 6 maps and answering questions about the cities and countries represented. Tomorrow we begin working on family trees and I introduce them to Ancestry.com. They will see my tree and start to learn about one of the 4 immigrants we are studying - my great-great-grandfather.

We'll see in a month if my scheme actually works. At least I'm having a good time!

Not a Heart...

2008-11-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

...but made with love!

My older granddaughter, Kady, wanted to be Wall-E for Halloween, but that's obviously not a popular choice this year as costumes are hard to come by. The one I found wasn't very good and cost $50!

Given the time and money, I think I'd have scrounged local thrift shops and created a replica of Wall-E that would even have motorized/light-up parts. As it is, I told Kady I'd spend $10 to make her a costume. We went to PaperZone to find a cube-shaped box that would fit her properly (12 x 12 turned out to be the right size). I mixed up a yellow-gold with some gesso for the base coat and made a darker gold glaze to dry brush over spots.

I cut the wheels/treads from another box and painted shades of gray in roughly the right shapes. I also painted the gray "control" area on the front. Then made a cardboard console and applied a 4x6 mailing label I had printed from my computer (designed in Adobe Illustrator). I covered that with clear mailing tape to look like glass over the "solar" indicator. I also downloaded the correct font (Gunship ) to make the name. My trusty X-acto made the head, arm and leg openings.

A purchased Wall-E mask saved me time and I loaned her my small cooler, not only to be like Wall-E, but to put her Treats in.
The next day I went to a thrift shop and purchased some small, old shoes. I found a bargain plant at Wal-Mart and snipped off a few leaves and voila, I had Wall-E's little plant.

Shalom

2008-10-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

The next Expressions gallery exhibit at church focuses on the names of God found in the Bible. While many of His names are meaningful to me, I chose to focus on Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace.

As usual, I really had no idea what the final piece would look like, but work through the piece just doing the next step as best I can. Titled simply "Inside," it was constructed on a 24" x 22" scrap piece of masonite board. Most of the texture and heart are made from plater-laden gauze. I had fun working with this medium! Various paints and papers add colors, textures and the obvious words.

(Hmm. A heart. Metallic paints. Text. Seems I have recurring elements in my art, huh?)

Below is the description I submitted with my piece...

JEHOVAH-SHALOM. The Lord is Peace.

The world searches for peace. If we could just solve the problems that face us - war, disputes among family members, the unreasonable boss, the collapse of financial institutions, too much month left at the end of the paycheck or a rebellious child – then we would have peace. If only.

But peace does not come with diligence of will. Peace comes with a person – Our God, Our Shalom. When He resides within, there is peace within. Peace that no person, no event, no trouble can take away.

I am so thankful for that peace
---

It seems there are so many things that threaten to steal our peace. Certainly our heart is even pierced by the turmoil at times. Yet inside we can rest in His peace in the midst of the storms of life.

Peace to you, my friends.

New Grandbaby!

2008-09-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Little Autumn Rose is the newest addition to my family. Her mom, my older daughter, Jessica, is doing well and so is the big sister, Kady. Dad, Nathan, is thrilled, too! The morning C-section was delayed until nearly 3 pm because no one told my daughter not to eat before the surgery, but baby Autumn is worth the wait.

My Other Art

2008-09-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

The State Fair is over and what a fair it has been! For those who don't know, I love to cook and especially love to invent new recipes. That is my "other" art - creative combinations in the kitchen. Every year I enter contests at the fair and have won quite a few ribbons. At the Oregon State Fair, entering the "daily" contests give you free admission, which was the initial reason I started entering 10 years ago.

This year I entered 7 contests - 6 for food and one Trash-to-Treasure (see Aug 27th post). Of those, I won a 3rd place ribbon for my fresh Tropical Salsa,

1st place ($200, apron, tote bag ribbons and entry into the national competition) in the Hidden Valley Ranch "Fresh Taste for the Family" contest with my Summer Confetti Slaw

and 2nd place ($50, apron and ribbon) in the Great American SPAM appetizer contest with my Sunday Brunch Shooters.

In addition to the cash, aprons and ribbons, I occasionally have extra "winnings." This year, the call came right away to demonstrate my salad live on the morning news show in Eugene, Oregon (about 65 miles to the south). I had to bring everything prepped and ready to go and be there at 5:45 am, then be back in Salem ready to work by 7:30 am. I had about 2 minutes to talk about and demonstrate my dish. Here is the link for the video and recipe: http://kezi.com/infocus It works currently, but I know eventually it will be replaced with more current news.

When I got home work that day, I had a message from the local newspaper. My recipe will be featured next Wednesday in the food section. They want a photo shoot of me making the salad and the finished salad to run with the recipe. After a few rounds of phone-tag, we have scheduled the shoot for next Monday.

Imagine my surprise when a coworker approached me at work today saying she had seen my name in the paper this morning! They ran a feature article about the Trash to Treasure contest in the home section of the paper today. Though I didn't win anything, my purse was pictured and described. How random was that?

It has been fun having all the attention. I'm so glad people like my stuff. Of course I am beginning to wonder where the riches are that should go with all my "fame!"

Trash to Treasure

2008-08-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

I decided to finish off my felt purse for tomorrow's Trash-to-Treasure contest at the Oregon State Fair. If I had more time, I'd love to embellish more and more, especially decorative stitching.

The purse and handles are made of wool sweaters from the thrift store which was felted in the wash. The handles are braided strips of the two felts with funky yarns braided with them. I added a found credit card case for an outside pocket and embellished with other found objects.

I wanted a more rustic closure, so used a chunky button and hand stitched button hole. The lining is made from a thrift store shirt.

I added a few buttons from my stash on the back

I made tags and hung them with funky yarns on one handle. One is a London vacation ad made into a transparency and words all from a 1952 National Geographic magazine. There is a recycle symbol on the back of the "Bargain and/or Priceless" tag. Both these tags were made in 1.5" square slides. I also made a metal tag from a pop can - the part that says "please recycle." There are also a few old dog tags.

Quick Note

2008-08-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've been busy the past few days with a visit from my stepmother. Both my daughters plus my granddaughter joined us. Friday we spent the day at the Oregon Coast and yesterday we went to Uwajimaya in Beaverton, Oregon, for their Polynesian festival. This dancer was part of a Praise and Worship group. Just beautiful! (Even in the 100 degree heat!)

Shirt 2

2008-08-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Kady and I painted another shirt. (Love those $1 store shirts! No worries if they don't turn out well.)

I used my tempered glass cutting board, which is reserved for crafting. I taped off a square with painters' tape and let Kady drizzle some squeezy paint into it. I then removed the tape to make more crisp edges and printed onto the shirt. The shirt was stretched lightly over a box to ensure a smooth, flat surface.

Because the paint was "globby" it smooshed over the lines, so after all was dry I added a painted frame (what did we do before painters' tape?) and added her name and date.

I'm so thrilled she likes to craft at 3. Now, as soon as my kitchen is finished (been painting and rearranging) I have to start her with cooking!

She's Back!

2008-08-04T08:58:00.002-07:00

After 2 weeks in Burkina Faso (more on this later), my daughter is back. She is wearing the outfit the tailor made for her from fabric she had purchased. The tailor came to the house, took measurements and came back with the garments (and bags and other orders). She brought me back some wonderful fabric and also had a skirt and messenger bag made. She only spent about $45 for all that fabric and the tailoring.

She is holding the drum she bought for her sister, which was engraved with her sister's nickname, "Rain."

Good to have her home! (even though with flight delays and some lost luggage made it about 3 am when we got home!) PS: the luggage (with more goodies went to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida instead of Portland, Oregon. Go figure!

Camp Crafts

2008-07-31T09:41:00.001-07:00

As Craft Director for NWCCD (Northwest Christian Camp for the Deaf) I try to provide crafts that stimulate artistic expression, teach new skills and can be reproduced at home for further exploration. I also aim to use up many of the materials I "inherited" with this job 3 years ago, which also supports my goal of keeping within my limited budget.

Since camp is at the beach, I've wanted to do sand candles, but didn't figure out the logistics until this year. I used bagged playground sand so we would not have to wonder about whether any dogs or cats had previously used the granules. To keep things simple and contained, we used styrofoam bowls. Tea lights were the perfect starter for the candles as they have a long wick and also provided a flat base. I had many bags of shells, so it was no problem to let the kids go to town with picking their favorites. After hardening, we dumped the sand and returned the candles to the bowls, then slipped them into zippered plastic bags for the trip home.

Following an activity for making foil patterns in Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam, the campers used foil covered foam core to make their designs. For the banquet, each table would represent a name of Jesus (vine, shepherd, Lord, etc.) so each camper chose a name and created their foil drawing to match. Younger campers colored with permanent markers; older campers with Lumiere metallic paints and Golden fluid acrylics.

This year we received a donation of over 100 water bottles. We had to hide the company logo (black permanent marker, then turning the foam inside out), then let the kids decorate with foam markers, Galaxy opaque/metallic markers and foam stickers. The theme was Jesus giving us Living Water, but they could decorate anything related to Christ or camp.

Each year we make and sign a huge "Thank You" card for our director and speaker. This year, I decided to use up some leftover shirts instead. For our director, I chose a nice blue and wanted to paint a square for signing because I thought the stiffness of the paint would make signing easier. The shirt moved and the paint didn't cover so well, so I took advantage of that by making a more "grunge" texture background. Everyone thought I was such a great artist! I just fancied up my mistakes!

For the speaker, I wish I had time to cover this shirt with Jesus' name. He had all of us signing Jesus repeatedly as fast as we could as part of his teaching during the week. Instead, I made the name Jesus and a heart filled with the the name of Jesus. He loved it! The back of his shirt also had a grungy square filled with signatures.

Northwest Joy

2008-07-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Growing up in southern California, a small box of blueberries would cost $5 or more. Blueberries were precious purple morsels that appeared once every few years in a pancake or muffin. Once or twice I remember having a slice of blueberry pie.

One of the pure joys of living in the Northwest is spending a few hours each July at a local U-Pick blueberry farm. For a few dollars you can fill a large bowl (and a good portion of your belly, if you employ the old "one for the bowl, one for me" method of picking). Then comes the decadence of consuming the berries a handful at a time. Such indulgence was never allowed at the southern California prices.

Of course, one can always add to the joy with a bit of ice cream!

Mosaic - the process

2008-07-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was plywood and pine and primer. I sketched a horizon line and then rough sketched the Twin Rocks. A simple painting in color would serve to guide campers on where to place the various colored tiles. I had to cut 6" off the plywood and cut my 1 x 4 lumber to size before gluing, nailing and screwing the whole thing together.

Once assembled, the campers began placing tiles. My supervisor found some heart tiles and we let the kids write their initials in permanent ink (which held up fine... until grouting - oops!). Then each day campers and staff dropped by to add to the design. Some tiles were put in the wrong place, but I left most of those for character. Some did need to be removed and redone.

As the week went on , I added shells here and there to give some dimension, color and texture.

This curved shell made the perfect big wave. Sadly, it was broken on the last day of camp after it had been presented to the host camp as a thank you present.

Detail of the sky corner. Notice the paper rope braid. Yes, I did do that all by hand! It took over one hour of just braiding and my fingers didn't like it one bit! But the edges of the plywood needed to be finished and that was all I had available. The braid was nailed with my staple gun.It is funny that this mosaic even happened. My original goal was to use up supplies I had "inherited" when I became Craft Director 2 years ago. I hadn't been able to come up with economical crafts and decided to do the large mosaic. I have never tiled and grouted before, but somehow I had confidence it would turn out okay in the end. All those hours of watching HGTV paid off!

For me, it was an exercise in faith and letting go. Any time "problems" came up (like not having even half enough blue tiles to cover the sea and sky - greens and grays filled in), I was able to let go of my wishes and expectations and trust that God would help the process. And, if I totally messed up and it had to go in the trash, I was okay with that. I was able to realize that my identity was not solely in that project and its failure would not mean "I" was a failure. Normally, I attach much of my worth to how well I produce. This week I was free from that worry (for the most part). I am once again amazed by His love and His concern for His children, even in little things like getting a mosaic done.

Getting back...

2008-07-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wow. My poor little neglected blog. This has been a busy year and seems all my energy has been required in other places, leaving little of "me" left for my art or my blogging. The "big" things are over for now, and with an empty nest looming on the horizon I think I can enjoy my blogging once again!

The most recent distraction was a week as Craft Director at Northwest Christian Camp for the Deaf. This was my 3rd year, so I knew the facilities, general schedule and many of the kids well enough to do efficient planning. It was a long week and I'm exhausted, but I am so pleased with how things went; it seems everyone had a great time with the crafts. I am especially pleased because on my limited budget I have to have crafts for about 100 campers for 4 days plus decorate the large cafeteria (tables, walls and beams) for the big banquet on the last night. This year I opted for a 3' x 8' mosaic as a thank you gift for the host camp facilities instead of the usual poster board card. (Never mind that I've never really done a mosaic and grout before!)

I'll be posting pix soon. I hope you are inspired by things the kids and I have done.

Rubbah Slippahs

2008-04-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I found the shirt at a thrift shop and knew right away I wanted it, but didn't know what I'd do with it. I liked the linen-like texture with the bright island print. Very quickly I decided it had to become the background for my next round of fabric postcards for the A2M exchange group.

I disassembled the shirt, saving the labels and buttons for other projects. I cut my Peltex 72 to size (4" x 6") and fused the shirt pieces to make the fronts of the cards. I tried to be sure each card had a nice, tropical flower.

At first, I just had pretty rectangles until an article about "Rubbah Slippahs" (flip-flops to us mainlanders) in the Hawaii Tribune-Hearald. I had subscribed online to keep up with the volcano and local events in preparation for my trip during Spring Break. I had never been to Hawaii and only had a few days, so wanted to be sure every minute counted - even the time just sitting on the lanai eating fresh papayas and bananas!

The concept was born, but the execution took some thinking. I decided on grosgrain ribbon for the straps (originally they were to be green, but when I saw this blue it just popped out at me). Below is my first attempt. It looked okay, but not right. I cut the corner on a curve and it was better. Then, I realized that the toe strap needed to be off to the side, not in the center.

I was busy before leaving home, so all the materials had to come in a bag with me to my Mom's. Luckily, she had bought a sewing machine a few months back. I ran out of thread near the end and the local fabric store was out of that thread, but another brand made a close enough match to complete all the cards.

I planned to write and mail all of them from the island to add to the Island Spirit. I wrote several during our breakfast stop about 20 miles south of Kona. We were eating outside at a small, rustic cafe - lots of fresh fruit and a fabulous view. But the best parts of breakfast were the little geckos on the railing! My daughter and I were thrilled!

The postal worker in Hilo would not accept my postcards because of the curved corner (and I had forgotten to pack my cellophane envelopes). I didn't want to argue, so I put mailing off until later (wound up mailing from California after the trip). Funny, when we got to Volcano House, they sold wooden postcards in the shape of surf boards! I guess it depends on who is working at the time! :-) Aloha!

Cocoon

2008-03-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes (a lot lately, actually) I am disappointed that I'm not accomplishing more art - especially for not getting back to my daily hearts. I miss doing them, and know I could be more faithful. My goal is to become a working artist, so everything I do now is "education" and "training" and "market research." It is (hopefully) my next career and I try to be serious about my pursuit of artistic expression.

To combat my tendency to self-criticize, I remind myself of all that I do accomplish! Recently, I looked back at just a few of the things I've done over the past few weeks and decided I was right to not berate myself. I completed and mailed my 2nd batch of postcards (see below), spent 7 hours caring for my granddaughter while my older daughter was in the ER (thankfully, it turned out to be nothing, but the day was gone - and you need to know I'm going to be a grandma again in September!), spent another evening running both my daughters around so they could see their father who happened to come through town), took the dog to be groomed (you can see his eyes again!), prepped potatoes and salads for several hundred for a fund raising dinner (then attended the dinner after another meeting; my younger daughter is going to Africa in July) and completed a fabric "sculpture" of a butterfly and cocoon for an art display at church. This morning I even managed to plat that package of strawberry plants (that would die soon, since I'd had them for several weeks).

All this in addition to the standard fare: teaching full time, running younger daughter to work and various volunteer activities, preparation and teaching an adult Shepherding Group (like a Sunday School class; I don't teach every week, though), hosting Deaf Young Life Leadership meetings (light snack and beverages), trying to keep up with reading my artsy books and magazines, quiet time, and the usual attempts to organize and keep up with household chores and stuff.

None of this is meant to be a cry for sympathy or any praise for doing nice things. I simply share my thought process. It helps me get it out there and be more objective AND hopefully be being open about my struggles with self-acceptance others can maybe identify similar tendencies in themselves and be kinder to themselves. I meet people all the time who give and give and sacrifice, but still get down on themselves for not doing more. Every so often we need to step back and see the half-full cup of water!

Spring Green

2008-02-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished my next set of 6 postcards. I used a bright green fabric (the colors do not show up well in this photo) for the background and added long lines of straight stitching in bright colors. I wanted to have solid yellow circles, but nothing in my stash seemed right. Then I saw it - the bright yellow duct tape! It was just the ticket. My only mishap was forgetting about the duct tape and briefly ironing on the front of one card! I doodled with some metallic blue paint to cover the damage.

We've had some very welcome sun-drenched days and the crocuses are blooming. Spring seems to be on the way and I wanted to bring some of that freshness and whimsy to the cards. I hope the recipients get a smile with their cards.

Finished Card

Painted Mistake

Back of cards

postcards

2008-02-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the postcards and put them in the mail last week. Each has additional painting and a small heart of microbeads. Each card also has a small picture on the back so recipients know their card is part of a group.

Things have been hectic lately, but I hope they settle down soon so I can get back to my art. :-)

Group Postcards

2008-02-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today I finished the main stitching on the overall heart design. I even like the way the stitching looks on the back!

I covered everything with contact paper and sticker hearts before adding some metallic paints. I used a small roller for the teal and a brush for the purple.

Then, I removed the stickers. I will play a bit more with this before cutting into 6 postcards and embellishing further.

Yellow Bow

2008-02-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Just grabbed the two closest pieces of wool felt and found some contrasting embroidery floss. First did a running stitch around the heart, then wove the yellow through the running stitches to make the loops. I finished with a bow so I wouldn't have to finish off the thread, then couched the "tails" of the bow. Of course, I just had to add a button. I thought I'd try spray starch to protect the loops, but it also wound up flattening everything.

Cold Day, Warm Heart

2008-02-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

We haven't actually had much snow for a few days, but some of the raindrops are slushy and my daughter had 2 snow days this week. We may even get some flakes overnight. The first half of my week was spent preparing many last minute details for the basketball tournament our school is hosting. The rest of the week has been focused on taking photos, supervising students taking photos (part of their final exam) and preparing photos for sharing in slide shows and eventually on our school website. I've been working 10 to 12+ hour days. I left after only 10 today because I'm beat and still fighting the beginnings of a cold (and I had to do laundry so I can go back to work tomorrow!). Another full day tomorrow, a few hours of meetings on Sunday (my daughter is going on a mission trip to Burkina Faso, Africa, in July), then I plan to put on my PJs, curl up on the couch and enjoy the Super Bowl!

Art has taken a back seat this week, but I have sketched and worked on the big heart that will become postcards. Today I made a quick wool heart with rustic stitches and a silvery snowflake just to honor our chilly week.

Beauty from ashes

2008-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

One of my postcard lists' owner/moderator's condo burned last week and she lost everything but the clothes on her back. That would be devastating for anyone, but for those of us who sew, quilt or "make art" we have our stash of fabrics, papers, paints and other necessities for our creations. Then there are the collections of postcards received from exchanges with individuals all over the world.

My card for Phyllis is made from recycled wool clothing and includes random embroidery stitches. For me, art can make beauty of chaos - beauty from ashes. My wish and prayer is for Phyllis to have a speedy recovery from this chaos and that she will find beauty in the process.

Coffee Cuff

2008-01-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

My daughter's coworker drew a quick sketch for her during a break. My daughter wanted to make her a coffee cup cuff as a "thank you." I've been making them since I read the article in QuiltingArts magazine, Winter 2006. She chose the fabrics and did some stamping, I did the sewing, including reproducing her drawing with free motion embroidery on the back side of the cuff. The drawing had lots of small details, which I found impossible to do well (especially since I couldn't see even under the free motion foot). The embroidery is actually in that bright green, but it didn't show up well, so I changed it to white in Photoshop so it could be seen.

Future Postcards

2008-01-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

This heart will be stitched to the canvas and will receive some thread embellishment. At some point, it will be cut into 6 postcards. Each postcard will then be embellished separately to become a unique piece of artwork before being mailed to the recipients on my exchange list. The background is a natural colored canvas and the heart is a maroon cotton with metallic pink flowers (a "must have" fabric once I laid eyes on it!).

Felt Time

2008-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Love using old, recycled wool sweaters! I had such a good time back in August with my felt hearts... It is the texture of the felt juxaposed with smooth embroidery floss, button or beads. And I like handwork, when I can find the time.

More Neocolor Experimenting

2008-01-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

Like Edison, I sometimes have to appreciate my experiments for what they teach me about what doesn't work. I wondered about other liquids instead of water to manipulate my Neocolors. Alcohol inks don't work - at least not on watercolor paper. So, I resorted to a damp sponge and the results were some blending and some light background color. Another day, another lesson learned.

French Final

2008-01-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

My daughter and her friend had to give a cooking demonstration in French for their final exam. Here they are making Quiche Lorraine. I posted it online because we're never sure if the teacher's computer will load the movies she takes on the thumb drive. The school blocks YouTube and other video sites, so posting it on my blog made it accessible as a back up. I've decided to leave it on, just in case her friends want to see it. (BTW they got a PERFECT score!)

More Polymer Clay Hearts

2008-01-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

I wanted to experiment more with the process I used on my recent polymer clay heart recently. So, I made 3 smaller ones (about 1 1/4"). I still need to epoxy the wire loops to the center top of each one.

Catching Up!

2008-01-17T06:03:00.000-08:00

I have been making a few hearts, but hadn't had time to get them online. My intermittent scanner was working last night, so I got them scanned!

I decided to experiment with my Neocolors a little bit. I drew a quick heart and made some designs and blocks of color on watercolor paper. I then misted the entire page and enjoyed watching the colors bleed and run. There were a few dry spots, so I sprayed again. Areas that were already wet blew with the force of the spray and made some interesting designs.

Using my Neocolors on watercolor paper again, I decided to dip the Neocolors into a bit of water before drawing. I love the intense colors! The only drawback is not being able to predict when the intense wet color would dry out and return to the waxy color (which colors only the high points of the texture of the paper). I wonder if this would be as pretty on fabric. I'll have to play more.

After working every spare moment of the weekend, my first day back to work was still focused on completing the basketball tournament program. However, I had a long-standing meeting for 3 hours in the evening, then I went back to school. So, I had to be creative in making a heart! I used the scraps from the name tag sticker and made a heart on my folder.

I was re-inspired this morning by an old Carol Duvall episode where they made polymer clay pendants. This isn't the exact technique, but I conditioned red polymer clay, textured it with a rubber stamp and cut a heart shape. I placed the red heart on a piece of black clay for backing, then cut strips of the black to make an edge. After baking, I used burnt umber acrylic paint to fill in the crevices, then brushed a few colors of mica powder on top. I should have put the mica powder on before baking to make it more permanent. Next time..

Constructed Heart #30

2008-01-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

The heart may not be "constructed," but the frame was. I have always enjoyed batik and have wanted to try gutta resist art since I first saw it on an episode of Carol Duvall. I finally bought some for myself and here is my first attempt.

Though I was pretty sure I had no breaks in the gutta, there are many areas of bleeding. Also, as it dried, the lines disappeared making it hard to see where to put the dye. Also, I wished I had a different variety of colors. However, despite its imperfections, I am quite satisfied with my first gutta resist dyed piece. (It is just over 20" square).

Constructed Heart #29

2008-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

A Leftover Heart.
Wanting something quick and not wanting to delve into my emotions tonight, I decided to collage a bunch of stuff sitting around my desk. I started with a purchased wooden heart, added some craft foil I'd been playing with (the rounded shapes were made with my new dap tool - here's a picture). I had saved the used tissue paper just for this type of purpose. There are some metallic paper towel pieces from dabbing off paint before dry brushing and a straight pin I found on my table. I've included the painted contact paper used as resist in Hearts # 27 and 28 and snippets of some of my threads from my jar (I put my thread clippings in a jar when I sew). It looked very messy and jumbled, so I topped it off with a dusting of my new gold mica powder (that was NOT a leftover).

Constructed Heart #28

2008-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

I used the same techniques as yesterday to deal with another emotional day. What were the odds? The last day of school before vacation brought news of a student's sister perishing in a crash on an icy road. The first day back to school brought news a sister of another student has life-threatening injuries from a crash on an icy road. Lightning can strike twice! But for me, the love of Christ staves off the darkness of despair we may be tempted to feel. Through Christ I can face any difficulty. No, these accidents didn't involve my family or loved ones, but I do get emotional with all events in my "community." My prayers are with the families and for a miracle for my student's sister today.

Constructed Heart #27

2008-01-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

Actually, it is more painted than constructed, but since this is what I made today it will have to do! This is Lesson 1 for my Celebrate Your Creative Self group. We used contact paper as a "resist" to maintain areas of white. I painted my designs with metallic Lumiere acrylics (blue, purple and teal), the dry brushed gold metallic over the top. I like the colors and textures of the paint.

The white is a bit stark for my taste, but I have some fabulous contact paper scraps to play with!

Constructed Heart #26

2008-01-04T15:17:00.001-08:00

More packing tape and metallic paint. Wanted something different than a hanging heart, so covered the lid of a plain heart box.

I've had some fun this week, foraging for fabric. (I've been debating over whether it was "hunting" or "gathering." I've decided that foraging is a better term.) I love to hit the thrift shops to find stuff for my art. This week one store had bins and racks of fabric that were just 49¢ each. I got some great wool (including red and deep purple) and some awesome buttons. Yesterday I got another vintage scarf - with cafe chairs all over it. I also got a suede jacket to cut up - after just reading an article on making metallic painted baby moccasins. Another 49¢ find was a gold silk pants/shirt set. Can't wait to play with dyes and make a scarf. Do you forage, too?

Constructed Heart #25

2007-12-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Just days before Christmas the sister of one of my students had an accident on an icy road and died. Any death is difficult, but a 24 year old young lady just days before a holiday is particularly difficult for family and friends. My heart and prayers have been focused on the family. This heart is dedicated to my student and her family.

The dark colors and words common in tragic situations reflect the "darkness" that we feel during such times. The dry brushed silver paint makes the blue/black look like cold, hard metal. Yet in tragedy there is hope and time heals all hearts. Metallic teal and words of hope and love are spreading up from the bottom of the heart. I pray the family will feel the healing presence of God and that rays of love will help heal their pain. We never forget a loss, but we go on with the strength of our loved ones.

Constructed Heart #24

2007-12-28T22:22:00.001-08:00

I've needed a clock in my studio for quite a while. I did some prep work on this heart recently and finally got it made yesterday. I wanted to keep it whimsical as well as functional.

This is one of those pre-cut wood shapes from the craft store with a short-stemmed clock works. I painted the background with liquid acrylic red and stamped with Lumiere metallics. Numbers were painted with white first, then with the metallic teal. Small holes were drilled around the edge for wire stitching. I found I couldn't see the gold hands well, so I added black triangles of paper to make them more visible.

Constructed Heart #23

2007-12-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

This isn't really "constructed," but it is the only heart I made Wednesday. My younger daughter gave me a new sketch book and pen for Christmas (my old one was nearly full).

Anyone who can count to 31 has probably noticed that my "daily" hearts haven't been so daily lately. Sure, I have been busy at work and with Christmasy stuff, but I'm normally busy with something or other. After pondering this for a bit, I realized a couple of things.

I had anticipated this thirty days of "constructed" hearts, imagining wonderful 3D creations of clay, polymer clay, knitted wire with beads and even some stuffed hearts. What I found was that most of my ideas for constructed hearts require much more time than I had or than was intended for the "daily" art projects. The point was for a bit of time playing with various materials, experimenting and (hopefully) developing my skills. The constructed hearts have become more frustrating and burdensome because they require more planning and time, though there is still some "play" involved.

I find myself longing for the little 3" felt hearts and the journal pages. These were quick. The felt hearts were portable. I loved dabbling with various paints and mediums on the journal pages (especially recycling old printer cleaning papers). And this is all very good! Since I love so many things, I often felt frustrated by lack of direction in my art. I still love to dabble in it all, but I'm happy to begin to identify some passion areas. As soon as my 30 constructed hearts are done, I'm back to felt for a while!

Constructed Heart #22

2007-12-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

I bought some heavy interfacing and wanted to try drawing on it. Wanted to experiment with using this as a surface to show instead of just a filler between layers. Had an "oops" with my new Pearl-Ex powder. This needs more experimenting.

Constructed Heart #21

2007-12-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

My daughter's friend was admiring my Peace heart outside, so I made her a tiny replica to take home with her.

Constructed Heart #20

2007-12-20T23:11:00.001-08:00

Okay. So where's the heart? I decided to liberally interpret the concept of "heart" yesterday. (Actually, since I made the "rules" for making the hearts and they are just for me, I am free to interpret them in any way I want.) :-) It is art. It is constructed.

I work with the most amazing people. They come from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, experiences and opinions. We can have some great "discussions" in which there are few agreements. From the outside it would seem we have little in common and are unlikely to be friends.But we are. I am fascinated that we are so closely knit - even with new faces joining the staff. I can only surmise that it is our unified commitment to providing the best education for our students that binds us together. We can set aside our personal interests (at times) for the good of the kids. I am blessed to work with such a great group of individuals.

Most of you don't know that one of my creative mediums is food. My younger daughter and I cook competitively and invent recipes. This little creation was in honor of my colleagues. We have had a tough year with many changes and challenges. Yet they continue to put the students first and support each other. I wanted to invent a new holiday recipe and dedicate it to them and name it in their honor.

The delight pictured above is a Panther Holiday Dipper. It consists of apple-chipotle seasoned ham bites and a special cranberry-ginger sauce (made from fresh cranberries). - a bit of heat and spice, familiar holiday flavors and enough of a twist to make it uniquely theirs.

My heart is definitely "in there."

Constructed Heart #19

2007-12-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

Most of the time she teaches writing to ungrateful teenagers. Though a few are writers themselves, most teens don't relish getting their nouns and verbs to agree nor all those other rules of English. She also teaches drama to students with a wide range of abilities. Tonight is the closing night for "The Outsiders." She puts her heart and soul into her work and into our students. She is an amazing lady who doesn't always have the time to devote to her own writing talents. This "Writer's Heart" is for Gayle. The small journal is attached with hook and loop tape, so she can read quotes about writing or jot a note of her own.

Constructed Heart #18

2007-12-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight the wood cut outs and wire got into the act. I'm also working on another heart that has taken multiple days, so I'm not getting too bored with the repetition.

Constructed Heart #17

2007-12-17T22:37:00.000-08:00

Sincere flattery? Or is my craft foil just jealous because I adore my wool felt? At any rate, it refused to be embossed tonight and insisted it needed the faux embroidery and buttons. Who was I to argue?

Constructed Heart #16

2007-12-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

I love my wool felt. Just made a quick freehand heart and twisted some wire for a hanger. Stitched it together with blanket stitching and lightly stuffed with fiberfil. Had to add some buttons - I love the aged ones, especially shell ones.

Christmas Postcard

2007-12-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

I finally finished one of the 4 Christmas postcards due to my group from ArtUMail. I was trying to get the tree to pop out to 3D. The glue, though dry, tends to stick and the bulk makes it hard for the card to lie flat. I'm not sure I'll attempt to make duplicates for the other 3 or if I'll create something new for them.

Constructed Heart #15

2007-12-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

My daughter wanted to hang the packing tape heart in her locker at school, but it was too large and bulky. I agreed to make something flatter with a magnet just for her. I wanted to make a mosaic, so looked through our stash and found the boxes of "beads" (no holes) that I bought at a garage sale. Of course, I had to add some of my old buttons. Then, I decided that regular grout just wouldn't look right, so I used clear adhesive and those teeny weeny beads with no holes. She likes it. Her locker will be so stylin'!

Constructed Heart #14

2007-12-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

I decided to try the beeswax again today. This heart ornament began with a heart cut from a scrap of a tissue box. I added the ribbon loop and sandwiched between two tissue paper hearts. Next came the doily and scrapbook paper heart. I added some mica powder and gold alcohol ink, but while noticeable, don't add the shimmer I was hoping for. I love old buttons, so added one on top of a scrap of lace. The heart is topped off with a couple more roses cut from the scrapbook paper. A touch of nostalgia.

Constructed Heart #13

2007-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

I actually started this heart a few days ago, but realized I couldn't finish it in just one day. I purchased a 2' x 2' square of plywood, cut the shape with my jigsaw and sketched out the ideas. It isn't as nice as I had hoped, but not bad since painting is not really my "thing." I much prefer sewing or other fiber crafts. But we did need something for our lawn and since I'm making hearts anyway... It needs a bit of touch up on the edges and some kind of sealer to withstand the elements. For now, it will have to stay on the porch to be protected.

Constructed Heart #12

2007-12-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

I was hours into a heart today when I realized I wouldn't finish, so back to the craft foil. Tried to color it with permanent markers and it looks okay. Next time, I need to borrow my friend's alcohol inks in all those jewel tone colors! That will look sharp!

We had a couple dozen snow flakes today - very tiny and melted on impact with our windshield, but we'll take any snow we can get. I know, many of you get too much snow in the winter, but here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon we can go years with no snow. And I love to build a snowman just as much as the other kids.

Constructed Heart #11

2007-12-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

After admiring the mica powders on the clay heart, I wondered if I could make translucent polymer clay look like opal by mixing in the mica. It didn't work too well. There was some shimmer, but not much. I wound up dusting a bit of mica on the surface and it will make a nice pin, once I add the pin back.

Constructed Heart #10

2007-12-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Still fighting a cough and remnants of a cold, plus I've been very tired today, so I looked for something quick and easy! I grabbed the air-dry clay, rolled out a small slab and cut a freehand heart. I rolled small balls and placed them around the edge and poked through the ball and slab with the end of a paintbrush. I used the open end of a metal paintbrush to add texture to the middle. Then mica powders were brushed over the whole thing. Not all the balls adhered well, so will have to be glued once dry, but I love the look of the mica powders.

Constructed Heart #9 and a half

2007-12-06T21:00:00.001-08:00

This was a total experiment. I've been interested in caustic wax collage, but haven't done anything about it. I've also dabbled with my soldering iron and never seem to get things to work right.

Well, I bent the wire and managed and ugly blob of solder at the join. I then layered some of my Christmas tissue paper, a Christmas tree charm, some threads, glitter and a shell button with hot beeswax. I stuck it in the freezer to harden and voila! Not great, but not bad for improv.

As long as I had that soldering iron hot, I decided to use my new glass slide squares. I layered music (with "heart" and some mica powder and used foil tape on the edges. I couldn't get the solder to work, but at least it is cute. (a "bonus" heart for today)

I must learn what I'm doing wrong with that solder. I use flux, heat the iron... and the solder just balls up and dribbles off, not sticking to the wires. I'll get it some day.

Constructed Heart #8

2007-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

This isn't a happy heart, but it has hope. It is dedicated to my neighbor, Haley, as she recovers. Monday she was hit by a vehicle and the officers told me it appears her husband ran her over after a fight. I can only imagine. My heart and prayers are with her.

When I began hunting for inspiration for constructing a heart tonight, this was not my initial choice. I soon realized that my first idea would take hours longer than I had or was willing to invest tonight. I'll save that for the weekend. So, I looked high and low at my treasure trove of "stuff" and settled on this... packing tape (the old fashioned paper kind).

I bent some wire, scrunched paper around it and held it in place temporarily with blue painter's tape. I covered the whole thing paper mache style with strips of tape. (I bought a bunch of it at a rummage sale for a quarter - I read an article on how to make a dress form using this stiff tape and I can't wait to make one!) Some strips were cut in half lengthwise to fit the contours more easily.

A coat of red paint to start, then dry-brushed white in a criss-cross pattern reminiscent of gauze bandages. Highlights of gold speak of hope.

Constructed Heart #7

2007-12-04T22:33:00.001-08:00

Wow. The photo actually looks better than the real thing! This 5" heart is made of craft foil, "tooled" with a dull pencil. (I find the metal embossing tools snag and scratch and feel yucky, so I prefer the pencil. I think the graphite helps it glide a bit better, too.) The large wrinkles were a "happy accident" and I like them. I finished it by experimenting with my new gold and silver alcohol inks. Didn't look great (wish I had the jeweltone set), so washed over the whole thing with brown Dye-na-flow. Done. Time for bed!

Heart Felt

2007-12-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

I want "heart felt" to be more than just art in my life. I hope to live by my heart, too. But sometimes I'm just too disorganized.

Earlier this evening when I treated myself to some of my favorite oriental take out for dinner, I met a woman outside the Dollar Tree store. Actually, she approached me. You see, she and her daughter had been waiting over an hour for the cab that was called. Thankfully, the weather tonight isn't the drenching, wailing storm of the past two nights, but it is December and it is a bit nippy after the sun goes down. She and her daughter were stranded without the cab. She offered to pay for gas if I could drive them and their few parcels up the road a few miles. She was apologetic the whole time and offered that if I didn't feel comfortable with the idea she completely understood and was embarrassed to have asked.

You need to know that while I have been in humble straits a number of times, I don't generally give notice to all the needy people on street corners sporting those "hungry - will work for food - God bless" signs. I know too many of them are scammers and prefer to give my donations to established organizations that help, like the Salvation Army or the Union Gospel Mission. I'm not heartless - I'm proud that my daughter works with the homeless each week. We were homeless when she was born 17 1/2 years ago, but I don't "do" streetside donations.

However, this mom had the ring of truth all over her. I'm just recovering from a cold and the special treat of chicken with warm noodles and vegies was tugging at me to just go home. The biggest deterrent, though, was that mess in my car. Between the water bottles (in various stages of emptiness), assorted items left after different errands, un-picked-up trash and my granddaughter's car seat, there was honestly not enough room for the lady and her daughter. So, I left, trying to convince myself that I had no obligation to them and that either the cab would show up or some other kind soul would give them a ride.

I kept thinking about them through dinner and chided myself a bit. But for a messy car, I could have easily helped someone in need. That mess. I usually just feel guilty and berate myself over my lack of organization just because of how it looks, how embarrassed I feel and how much time I waste searching for things. I usually don't think it affects anyone else. But tonight it affected a woman holding a few sacks and standing in the cold with her daughter in front of the Dollar Tree store.

Constructed Heart #6

2007-12-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

Not the prettiest thing, but boy! does it have a story!

At first I wondered what technique I'd want to use. I finally decided to make a needle-felted wool heart on wool flannel and then make it into a pillow. But first, I had to find my needle-felting tool! I am in the middle of reorganizing my spare room/studio (and I've been in the middle of doing this for at least 6 months), so this was no small task. I eventually realized I hadn't used it in nearly a year and finally found the right box.

I've really been fascinated by the needle felting I've seen and have decided I want a needle-felting machine, but all I can afford at this point is the hand tool. Unfortunately, while it managed to secure my wool roving to the background, I couldn't get any of my other wool scraps to felt together or to the background.

I gave up and decided to free-motion stitch my felt scrappy heart by machine. After breaking 3 needles, one bobbing and several threads, I gave up and had to complete the heart by hand. When adding a bit more roving to try to round out my original heart, I even broke one of the felting needles in the tool! I've concluded that the density of felted wool and top-stitching is just too much for any machine.

Unfortunately, this meant I couldn't finish yesterday and had to finish yesterday's heart this evening before dinner. Today's heart will be simpler and I will finish that this evening, too. (Is this computer wood? I just knocked on it anyway.)

Felt Hearts

2007-12-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have uploaded my first group of 30 felt hearts. Each heart and the backing squares are handmade from recycled wool sweaters and garments. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Constructed Hearts

2007-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Felt Purse

2007-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's "constructed" heart. A recycled-wool felt purse lined with oriental brocade. The purse is about 7" tall.

Entry #1

2007-12-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

"I am an artist." There. I said it. Actually, I've said it to myself many times and in recent years I've come to believe it more strongly than ever before. To write and create are the reasons I was put on this earth. Now, how do I use those gifts effectively?

As part of my commitment to nurture my creative self, I have decided to accept the challenge of creating art every day. For the most part, I have succeeded. I am in my fourth 30-day block of making hearts. Each 30 days I use a different medium or process for creating hearts.

Back in August, I began with wool felt hearts. I love felting old sweaters from the thrift shop. There's something warm and comforting about the texture and muted colors of the wool. Each small wool heart was stitched onto a 3" wool felt square. Each completed "tile" is unique with various colors of embroidery floss, various shapes, buttons and beads. This has been the most satisfying unit to date (hence the name for this blog), so I plan to have another 30-days of felt hearts later in the year.

My second unit was "wild hearts" and was intended to encourage me to play with colors and techniques. Each heart was fabric and attached to a 6 1/2 inch fabric square. The hearts and squares were sometimes embellished. I found I didn't go as "wild" as I had predicted, so I'll have to attempt more wild hearts later.

The third group of hearts were created on 9" x 12" paper. Most of these were created on watercolor paper, but some on recycled cleaning mats from the offset press at work. I found I really preferred the cleaning sheets because they offered an initial wash of color and texture instead of a blank white ground. Hearts were drawn, painted or collaged onto the background paper. Some days I was pleased with my experiments, but some days I wanted to crumple them up! However, the goal is to experiment and try new things. Each "failure" is part of the learning process - I learned that from Thomas Edison!

Today I completed #5 in my series of "constructed" hearts. Today I used felt to make a heart-shaped purse. It is couched with yarn, sports a braided yarn handle and has a few beads to embellish (they look "lost" and random, but I was too tired to add more to keep them company). The inside has a nice oriental brocade and I successfully added a magnetic closure.

I'll add photos as I can. Comments are welcome.