Gotta love a good class!

So , again, it's been forever since I've posted, but it is nice to have a blog to go to when the spirit moves me. I'm very delighted to be joining my fav yahoo group, Artists of the Round Table  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtistsOfTheRoundTable     in a workshop of handmade books. What fun! Though I've made many, many of these little folded books I'm looking forward to the stitched books that we'll be making later. I could definitely use the practice and it's so fun to work alongside the other talented people in the class.   (Tammy, do I see your name signed up? Looking forward to making books with you!)
So stay posted... fun stuff ahead!

well, it's been forever....

I've been feeling a bit guilty for staying away from my blog for so long. Clearly, going back to work has forced me to give up certain things that I enjoyed as you can see since I've not posted since November! It's incredible to have so much of "me" time taken away, can't get used to that.

But all in all I have enjoyed my job very much! It's a very creative store and the management encourages the creative mind wholeheartedly. For example, on my 'to-do' list yesterday was to do a two page art journal spread for a sample journal to display. And to develop a workshop to teach, anything as long as i'm using our products. Next week I will be putting up our window- sock monkey pirates that I designed. How can I complain about that!

Still I am mentally drained trying to get anything done around home, including groceries and dentist appointments for the teen. My dog never gets his walk anymore :-( I can't visit my old dad as often. My house is a mess.

So I was going to try to get to Michael DeMeng's workshop in Pasadena but it's sold out. Or would love to take Kelly Kilmers journal class (any of them, she's wonderful!) but schedules collide so far. Anybody have any suggestions (southern california) ?

Changes

I can't believe it's been more than 4 months since I posted here. It's always been difficult to keep up with All Things Internet. It's rewarding, but takes time. And now will be even more difficult because big changes are underway in my life. After being a stay-at -home mom for 14 years I am now back to work 30 hours a week! That, I would say.. is a significant change to the way I use my time each day. And though I love my job and feel so lucky to have landed in a spot where I can be amongst friendly, creative and amazingly talented people and be challenged to be creative myself, AND get paid for it! How lucky is that! But I can't pretend that I don't miss being in charge of my own time, my own schedule, and letting my instincts lead me through my day.

The good thing is that I was worried that I would "lose" my art due to having no time to work. But since my job is all about creativity I still feel the inspiration within me to create. And though these first few weeks I'm still adjusting to the new schedule I know that I will be happy to pick up my art materials and tools and spill creativity out into my world perhaps with renewed inspiration. This is the beginning of the next phase of my life. Time to reinvent myself.... again.. and again.. and again.

Help Bernie! Help the Dogs and Cats!

If you're reading this I'm sure you know of Bernie Berlin. Rescuer of dogs and cats, caretaker and queen of pet love. A new collaboration of mixed media artists work is being auctioned off, the proceeds going to help fund Bernie's rescue efforts. It's jam packed with beautiful artwork and I can't think of a better way to give charitably at this time.

The link to the beautiful book being auctioned on ebay is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110549148205

To find out more about A Place to Bark visit here: http://www.aplacetobark.com/

Bernie works so hard traveling all over the country to rescue dogs from shelters that would have otherwise been put down. Any donation you can give will surely be appreciated.

Thank you Renee Troy for letting me know about this latest auction!

Papa's Garden

My father has a garden that is very dear to me. We've always worked on this little garden together. It's just a tiny plot in his big back yard and has been thru many , many transitions in the 38 years he's lived there. When my mom was alive the back yard was alive with green grass, plants, vines, roses, potted plants. But after she died 10 years ago the house and the garden has settled into a depression of miscare. After she died my sisters and I each planted a rose for her. But with busy lives and distance only one remains. The little plot of dirt nearby layed there, refusing to be ignored, remembering what happiness it represented in the past. When I moved back to California, overwhelmed by the disarray in my mothers absence, the garden was there calling me. The one surviving rose showing the strength that I needed, I knew what I needed to do. I dug out the weeds of the little rectangle and brought over the lumber for a raised bed along with compost and plant food. I brought over tomatoes and artichokes and zuccini and my father and I, side by side, dug and planted and staked up that little plot of dirt. And, lastly, I pruned and fed and welled up that good strong rose, thanking it for remaining as my inspiration.

My father was so happy with his garden, though he did grumble about using water during California's water shortage, but he did take care of it and was so happy to harvest the prolific vegetables produced. After all, he is forever the teacher, me, forever the student in his eyes. I have designed and completed 4 big gardens in my life but I am very happy for him to tell me how to dig up a weed.

This year my father turned 88 years old. The garden, as you see it here, does contain a new tomato plant and possibly an artichoke but when these calendulas took over the raised bed it was them that made my father happy. And so they remain, as unconventional as it might be to have flowers mixed in with your veggies, they will stay and what will grow will grow. Last week my father picked all the roses from that happy rose and we brought them to lay on my mothers grave. Now everyone is happy!

The sign that sits in the little garden plot reads "Papa's Garden". I made it for him when I was just a little girl. I love my father and I'm so glad to bring him this little plot of beauty.

Catching up

I haven't posted for a while but for the two people that ever read this, I'll share my latest. :-) This is a collage with additional pastels, transparencies and charcoal. It was done for a collaboration among 21 artists --an Exquisite Corpse Exchange. ... meaning that all the pieces will be cut in three pieces, head, torso and legs, so the pages can be flipped around exposing different body parts in each section. This collab was arranged by Red Scott who is brilliant at these kind of artistic collaborations. http://www.capolan.org/ Anyway, I have received wonderful artwork (prints) from the other artists and now I need to make my little book of some sort to house this 'game'.
And here are my constant companions, my sweets. Only missing is Tucker, my golden retriever who is under my table. The kitties are Gypsy, Barker and Benji and they're watching the birds outside.

Beeswax Collage

This is one of my latest pieces, a beeswax collage on canvas board. The images are from Anna Corba. I recently taught a class using this technique and it was a great success! And the studio smelled so wonderful, too! I'll be offering a class in beeswax collage again after the holidays so if you're interested and you live anywhere near Westlake Village in California, please leave me a comment with your email address and I will let you know what the class schedule is.

Pretty Crow

Neat! Look what my Iphone can do! It's amazing what you can do with a camera without really knowing how to use it (well). Anyway, I suppose most people wouldn't call a crow pretty but I think they're kind of magnificent. They're so smart and brave and to watch them fly, especially when they're close to you, it's like having little airplanes flying around you. Oh, this I know because I feed them in the morning and then send them back to their own little world.

It started with just a sweet couple and of course they had to go tell all their friends. Now I have some 20 crows waiting for me every morning. They wait, they eat, they go. The whole thing lasts maybe 10 minutes. The noise lasts about one minute! And there are begging stragglers who see that the squirrels seem to get the best food of all , and that it's protected by me. Otherwise the crows would be happy to eat everything.

Yes, my mornings are like living in a zoo, (I didn't mention the ducks, did I). But I love all my visitors. It's nice to be important to someone.

New Book, New Bookmark!

Here's my new bookmark for my new book: What The Dickens by Gregory Maguire of "Wicked" fame. I've read less than one chapter and can see I'm going to love it. And these few pages inspired me to begin my bookmark. If you know me, you may know that I make a new bookmark for every book that I read and I make it before I read it. So it's interesting to see how and if my artwork has anything at all to do with the story when I've finished.

Maguire's subtitle is "The Story of a Rogue Toothfairy". And the first few pages have to do with some kids at home who have run out of food due to some kind of world disaster. So on my bookmark I've included a little doll who's fallen, a ticket food for 1 drink, a narwhale (whose long horn is sometimes considered a tooth) and a piece of the word 'museum' incomplete and falling off the page. There's also a tiny dove of peace with an olive branch in his mouth but poor thing has been smeared, totally by accident but , hmmm, lets see how THAT plays out!!!

Wild Wings

Art is everywhere. Even in a sad situation. No, I didn't draw this.... this is the imprint of one of the many sparrows that mistakenly fly into my window. This happens alllllllll the time and don't worry, they nearly always live! I have left the window dirty so they will see that they can't fly through it but there is always one that will still try.

Anyway, look at the beautiful dust print! I will use this in my art somehow so that his misfortune won't go to waste. (this one was fine and flew off alright.)