Southern Exposure: Square Wreath

Time for another Southern Exposure visit -- this time to make a square springtime wreath. Today's photos are courtesy of my friend Jan, as I forgot my camera! That must be a first!

It was a much nicer day than our last somewhat icy visit! Jan captured many of the wonderful vignettes that make Southern Exposure more of an experience than simply a destination. It all begins with rose petals and blossoms strewn along the paths.

Then, of course, we can't miss the wonderful displays. Some of the flowers are real, even this early in the spring. I love how the toile fabric dressed up an ordinary container into something quite memorable.

Of course, you might also find some high quality silks. (Why yes, I did happen to purchase a few flowers in the gift shop, thank you!)

I always get overloaded with ideas when I visit this spot. I know that I upgraded my floral urns after I started seeing how much nicer they made the flowers look!

The wreath we were to make is based on a format they discovered quite popular in Australia during one of the group's international tours, though we've been seeing more square styles here, too. This hydrangea wreath is not the one we made (you'll see that below) but it is incredibly striking!

Chef Elsie's dinner was also Australian-based. Put a few shrimp on the barbie, please! And the table setting was, as always, elegant and made all the guests feel very special.

After dinner we moved to the craft tent. Our stations included a moss-covered square wreath, four bright yellow gerbera daisies and waterpicks, some faux forsythia, scissors and some curly willow. We could get additional supplies if needed, but what they provided as plentiful.

With more than 50 people making wreaths, there was a lot of energy! Our instuctor Micah gave an overview of the balance and design of the elements, then turned us loose.

Everyone's was different!

And here is mine, taken at home.

So, today I leave you with a little bit of joy and a lot of spring. We're seeing warmer weather here in Michigan and I hope those of you who have been dealing with winter for the past few months are finding some joy in the sun and early blooms.

I know I am!

This post is linked to Talk of the Town and Thoughts of Home on Thursday later this week! Stop by -- both sites have terrific links and great ideas!

Harry's Back!

He may have been back for awhile but I had my first Harry the Heron sighting on Sunday!

At long last spring has come to mid-Michigan! And, unlike the previous "false alarms," this one looks to stay for at least two weeks -- and by then it will be May, so it should mean it's a done deal!

One can only hope, although I can't complain. Our winter was fairly mild by Michigan standards. I had daffodils sprouting out of the ground in January and lived in panic that they wouldn't make it till the spring between snowfalls, ice, warm ups and then more cold weather.

But they did make it. And Harry is back! Spring really is here.

I leave you with a few photos using some of the various settings from the camera.

I confess, even though manipulated photos aren't always my favorite (too much journalism in my past!), I have to say I'm really having fun with this!

I guess you never know what you'll find and you're never too old to discover something new is fun!

(And I suppose since one of the key roles of PR people was/is to manipulate information to present it in the best way possible, I suppose a manipulated photo or two isn't really too inappropriate!)

Or at least I'll keep telling myself that. Yeah, and that it's art, too!

Art Journal Check-In

It's been awhile since I actually picked up my art journal and worked within that format. I've been having such fun with the pet-painting class and the Southern Exposure workshops that my own journal has been buried under a larger pile of art supplies being used for other projects!So, I thought I'd catch you up on a few things -- some of which you may have seen here before and some that are new.First up, the title page! NO RULES!

Here's a look at that series of the same image I kept doing over and over. I'm ready to tackle it one more time, this time not in gouache as these are but in pan watercolors and on a different paper, just to see how it plays.

Here are two images on watercolor postcards from the lake.

This one was done last summer from a vintage postcard. The perspective is a bit wonky. There's also a lot of pen and ink on the it.

This version is from a photo.

I still don't have the color and movement right. I've done this one twice so far (postcard above and larger) and just can't get the color right but I'll keep trying. Next time I'll try a cold press paper.

Here's a fun and fanciful one!

I haven't played with my linoleum blocks for too long! But here are the first two things I've done -- the cat (which I showed here when we were printing) and the Christmas card.

I'm not very good at birds -- have to work on this one some more! It's from last summer.

And then there are "places." I love painting from places I've been -- these are all from photos. The first is from Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. The painting can't begin to match the wonderful day spent with my blog friend Tara and her husband David. It will be a memory for a lifetime.

Of course, I had to tackle one of my favorite images from the Shaker Village!

The fascinating Montmartre area (postcard).

And this one needs no explanation! (Also postcard.)

Lately I've felt in creative overdrive -- wanting to paint, glue, stick things together, try new techniques and write (I'm working on family history, too!) Coming up in May, a friend and I are hosting our next make-and-take tea. Here's a sneak preview of the project. These are silk scarves. I did the top two and my friend Barb the one on the bottom.

For more on the technique of these, please visit Bleubeard and Elizabeth. This link and this one too will direct you directly to the process but be sure to check out her other tutorials if you're interested! It's tremendously fun!

Southern Exposure: Peter Rabbit

We're back at my favorite haven, Southern Exposure for another workshop and stop in the gardens!

It was a bit of a gloomy day when Kate and I arrived and the night before had been a cold one. The ice in the fountains and snow covering parts of the ground spoke volumes.

And my poor little angel didn't look particular comfy!

I did have a bit of fun playing with my camera, trying out the new settings! I started out with this look (And yes, I know you've seen it before, but it may have been my favorite photo from the day!.)

And the camera turned it into these!

 

This sweet cart was filled with silk floral rose balls, probably used at one of the many weddings held at Southern Exposure.

Of course I had to get close.

And then let the camera do its thing once again!

 

Then this rather odd one!

I didn't take any photos of the tables because they were similar to this post, but in the craft area we were greeted not with easels but a row of giant bunnies!

These guys were about two feet tall and highly textured. We drybrushed a white latex over them which highlighted the raised areas of their "fur." Then we added a clear coat (which was minwax polyurethane unscented). With about 60 people working on a project using clear coat poly, we couldn't smell a bit of the acrid smell that always kicks my lungs into high gear!

The project was amazingly simple and I was thrilled with the results.

Lizzie? Maybe a little less so!

I leave you with another close-up of the silk rose balls and a question.

Those of you who are gardeners, anyone know what these might be? It was the closest I could get but they were definitely early bloomers!