Art Is Medicine

"Art is a medicine that I must take and, my goodness, I feel better, lighter, alive, energised and I've started humming again!"  -- Lucia Leyfield, Wild Ink

I subscribe to an art newsletter from the delightful Lucia Leyfield, who offers online classes and work-alongs. In a recent issue she posted the quote above and boy, did that resonate. 

From my art journal, a good 10 or more  years ago.

Creating Art with Kristen Robinson, Part One

As you may know from earlier posts, few things make me happier than when I can do creative things in the company of others. If I'm learning something new it's even better! So, when one of my favorite teachers, Kristen Robinson, comes to town, of course I'm enrolled!

Kristen taught three classes at SmittenDust -- I took two and this post chronicles the first. We made a small shrine/shadowbox and another flat piece using plaster, along with paint, fabric and ribbon, paper clay embellishments, buttons and whatever else we chose to bring to the table! This is her sample.

Kristen provided a wonderful kit and all the supplies, apart from things of our own we thought we might like to include. Dusty had large tables with good workspace and the company was terrific!



Kristen is including this project on her DVD and in her mixed-media book written with Ruth Rae, so I won't go into details on making it. But I will show you some of my photos during the process so you can see how it evolved.

We started with a square piece of matboard which was cut and turned into a box shape. Then it was covered in plaster -- big pieces and small strips -- to get the right texture and strengthen it.


We also added a small platform inside the box.

Then Kristen demonstrated different ways to move on, incorporating buttons, ribbon, muslin and embellishments to make the boxes unique.

We were all completely engrossed in learning the best techniques -- and she has plenty of helpful hints!



The longest part of this technique is the drying part, which gave us time to talk and grab lunch at the ice cream shop next door!

When it was dry enough, we began to paint. I kept mine with a pretty neutral cream/tan/aqua palette but lots of people went with more color. It didn't matter -- everyone's was beautiful!



Then we added embellishments and wax and more paint to age the box. Kristen's demonstrations (below) were easy to follow. The whole project was shaping up!



And finally, the finished pieces!

It was truly a remarkable day. Fellow teacher/artist Kari McKnight Holbrook was here for the weekend, too, so it was like getting a double dose of favorite teachers! And of course, both brought some of the things they make and of course, I shopped!

 

And, I had a big smile on my face when I left, eagerly anticipating the next workshop!

Stay tuned for her unique journal project!

A Loving Tradition

It started sixteen or seventeen years ago. Christmas was coming. Rick and I had now been together long enough to know that this was no short-term romance and I wanted to give him something totally unique, something totally from the heart. So, I made the first of what would become many poetry collections.That first book remains his favorite. It may be the least polished of all of them -- a pre-made journal of natural papers, hand written, very simple drawings. And yet, some of the poetry remains in the all-time favorite category.



In the years since, I have made tiny books, accordion books, flip books, pop-up books, you name it. Many are in pre-made journals, some in scrap books, some stitched together by this woman with a stitch-aversion. They've reflected moments good, bad, frustrating, joyful, fun and not-so-fun. The 2001 book was 9/11 and probably one of the most depressing.



After the first year or two I realized that with the Christmas holidays, I simply couldn't do a good job with it. Too many stresses, too much else on the plate. So I moved the schedule to Valentine's Day, where it remains today.

Fresh from my Jacqueline Sullivan workshops, I decided to use some of the techniques I'd picked up over the two days -- and one that I picked up on my own.

For the cover, I used a 140 pound 11x15 cold-pressed watercolor sheet, folded in half. The techniques on the cover included modeling paste used with (and without) stencils, painted in an earth-sky palette. The star, button and beads were affixed after the book was completed.

Inside, I used a parchment cardstock (8 1/2 x 11), folded and distressed with Tim Holtz inks. The poems were printed on a cream stock and glued in place. Each page was embellished with washi tape, lace paper, tea bag papers or photo transfers.

 

Now and then a button would be used -- like these vintage French buttons that reminded me of bicycle wheels! Perfect for the poem about Rick's bike hikes.

The "key to my heart" was one that blogger Linda sent when she was going through her mother's old crafting supplies. She knew it would find a good home -- and it did.

All in all, I felt it was probably one of the books that best exemplified the art part of me (and better technique than a lot of them).

The poetry? Well, no one is going to make me America's next Poet Laureate. Despite years of listening to Stephen Sondheim's clever lyrics, the rhyming is routine at best (though Rick liked "aisle" and "smile" in the poem about Kevin's wedding!).

And damn. A typo. I thought I got all of those.

But he was happy. And I was happy. And another year of joyful moments burst onto the page -- bringing smiles.

(Some of you have asked about the photo transfer paper. Watch this space -- I'm working on a post on that!)

A Little Bit of Loving Goin On!

I'm not very good at remembering this but it's important: You make time to do the things you want to do.

So, as Valentine's Day was closing in, I realized it was now or never in the Valentine creation mode! Out came the supplies! Paint, modeling paste, paper, lace, mica, buttons, glue.

In came the happy!

Here are a few of the Valentines before they were fully assembled. These have the modeling paste and stenciling on them and are painted. No embellishment. (The blue page is for something else!)

And here are some of the finished products!

This is my favorite!

I can't tell you how much fun it was to dig into this after what seemed too long a time away at the art table.

 
Hours passed and I didn't even notice the time. All of a sudden I realized Rick was coming for dinner and it wouldn't kill me to see if the meat was defrosted and figure out what might go with it (much less get it into the oven in time!)

Total Zen.

I also took time to work a bit on my journal pages. I still haven't posted about that workshop. Soon. Maybe next!

AND, I finally experimented with transfer paper, now that I have a printer! My transfer technique leaves much to be desired, but I think I could get hooked on this -- transferring the image, then moving the ink around for a watercolor effect.

All in all, glorious fun!

Yes, loving the love at Valentine's Day -- and every day!

A New Kind of Shriner, Part One

The week before my surgery, I had a wonderful evening with two art friends, Jane Rosemont and my pal Kate.

Our task: to plan the shrines we would create when Jane returned from Bali and I had two arms!

Jane is delightfully eclectic -- her photography is amazing -- eloquent and filled with soul. Her portraits of people being people (doing what they do, being as they are, not studio portraits) are fabulous, with great depth and she is adept at catching every kind of image from graceful architecture to a moving scene. (Actually, her studio portraits are pretty cool, too!)

Jane came from a strong Roman Catholic background and has the best nun collection of anyone I know. Her travels and life experiences have expanded her scope and her deep sense of soul and spirit, life and whimsy, courage and grace -- and yes, color! -- always makes me smile and feel grateful I came to know her.

Her work (as seen on her website and blog) covers all sorts of media -- photography, mixed media, painting and assemblage. I had taken one shrine class from her before, and made this wee Stimpy from a mint tin.

Above, you see the front and one side -- the tin "sun" at the top is a tuna can, the beads are cat-oriented and the side has some of his beloved shrimp shells. The fibers are from one of the fiber-snakes he liked to play with, made from my leftover yarn. Because Stimpy lived for his Fancy Feast, a label and a photo of his bowl are mounted. The cat at the top is an repurposed button cover.

On the opposite side, his name is in wooden letters. The tin was "rusted" using an acrylic paint and dabbing technique.

But I digress. I was ready for more.

So, Jane was our leader. Kate and I came armed with our ideas and some supplies to play with.


You won't see finished work here -- that'll have to wait for another month or so.

But Jane talked about containers -- which run the gamut from mint tins to boxes to nichos to old Barbie doll cases to anything with sides that works.

And she has a good collection of things to put in these containers!

Like this sweet faced Madonna -- a doll head and body.

I have a nicho (I think that's right -- a tin shrine thing, for sure) and my theme is my dad.

I picked background papers and some of the bits for the "holes" (spaces) on the front -- a photo of dad, a bit from an old postcard my mom wrote, a stamp from India, some of his ham radio licenses, some army medals, that sort of thing.

I may use this India map as part of the background.

Kate decided to make a shrine to color.

Her structure is a small black box with compartments. She then began cutting up the pantone book in the teeniest squares. Some of these will hang, like mobile pieces.

Keep watching for our shrine adventures, part two!