More silliness and challenges

This collage is called "Queen of Travail."
I just accepted a poster commission to do a watercolor for the holiday concert sponsored by the United Arts Council in Gaston Co. I hope I can do it in 2 weeks?! Yikes!
I am still doing my funny little collages of people and it is so much fun and relaxing. I may even try a collage for the poster just to warm up!

been to the mountains

A retreat in the mountains is a wonderful way to revive your spirit and refresh your energy for your work, whether your work be making art, writing novels, teaching, or digging ditches. I always seem to find my heart and voice in the mountains or at the beach. My two very favorite places for each of these retreats are Kiawah Island if it's the beach and Jonas Ridge if it's the mountains.
Here is a photo from Jonas Ridge that I took this week. The mountains raising through the fog look like little mountains in the ocean.
There was much solace and serenity there for me and my husband.

Brain Alive

I am definitely not brain dead. I have woke early the last two mornings, earlier than usual because my brain is alive with "to do" lists, ideas, chores, errands and everything under the sun to worry about...what I really wish I could do is be a full time artist. I sneak into my studio off and on finding inspiration and spilling it out onto anything and everything standing still.

Today I keep finding references to "light" in quotes, emails, lyrics on the radio and in my morning Bible and Prayer devotions.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22 and
...that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 56:13

I love that "walk before God in the light of life."
(scripture for Matthew’s email today)

Much gratitude to you, those that nurture you and the incredible moonlight that has been illuminating our night sky.

(from The Spiral Muse Newsletter)
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your innovations
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book beginsT
he rest is still unwritten...Natasha Bedingfield

What is the message for me? Seek the light, follow the light, be illuminated, get out of the dark, the dark is over…)
God please do lift the dark cloud I seem to huddle under and illuminate my life.
I feel so close to happiness and worry free but I just refuse to grab the bright illuminated brass ring of the rest of my life.

I'm doing lots of collage, with layers of paint and ribbon and images.
Here are the latest art pieces.

Given by God

My devotion booklet "Given by God" is barely finished and I have words to start a new one. I have combined the words with a recent photo.
Despite a restless sleepless night, I will face the day's errands and challenges with peace in my heart and praise on my lips

Reconnections

I heard from a friend from the past yesterday. She was my best friend and roommate in college. We talked for an hour catching up on the happenings in our families. It was nice. I suggest you contact an old friend today. Life is short and we should never forget the
good folks we have known.

Here is a recent wishful self portrait. I'm hoping to submit it to skirt magazine.

Productivity

I did go to the doctor for my pain and of course he gave me meds and wants to see me in a month but the pain isn't totally gone.

However, in my little studio I can find much to do to occupy my mind and take it off of the pain. I carved a new stamp (inspired by a wonderful photo of my mother in law who died less than a year after we were married). I am making cards with it and did a polymer clay piece from it to put on canvas. I just can't decide how to embellish it yet. Any ideas?

Change

Progress?

I have made more art in the last two weeks than any one period in my life.
That's good but I think the use of my arms and hands and the tense way I stand and work is causing my pain. I finally gave in and called the doc and have an appointment for tomorrow at 8:30 AM. I'm weary and ready to get it over and done and get on with my life, my art, and my activities.
Here is a new piece for the journal project and the 2X3 foot canvas I've been working on.

Another day of............

I guess I'm going to the doctor. This head ache is keeping me from progress with my many art projects. I'm working on a canvas book for the upcoming SS theme of nature and I need to know how to keep vellum from wrinkling even though the dampness just came through the backing paper not the vellum itself.
It's looking so good except for that and I hate to think I have to start over. I attached the vellum with brads and then pasted the two pages together to hide the brad backs but now the dampness has come through and the vellum is wrinkled. Can I try to iron it? Blast it with the heat gun? What? I didn't want to stick the vellum even with vellum tape. Any suggestions?
I even learned to do piano hinge binding thanks to Lisa Vollrath's help. If you haven't seen her site TwoTen Studios. Check it out here:
http://tentwostudios.lisavollrath.com/

Here is a recent fun work featuring my son and his girlfriend. Just take a funny magazine ad and alter with heads and paint:

Believing in the healing of God

Although I am only 50 the ravages of time are taking over and I have new aches and pains every day. I need anyone reading this blog to please pray for me. I have had a headache off and on for 5 days now, not the normal, take a pill or rest and it leaves. Please join me and tell me if you believe too.

God Bless you!

If only...

If only I have time to devote a full work day each day to art.
If only I had the energy to give all my free time to art.
If only I had started earlier in my life.
If only...........wait........Carpe Diem.........I have today......I have now.....
I will do all I can
with all I have
as much as I can
for as long as I can
I am now in the process of doing mini color journals.I have begun blue and am going to do the primaries and then maybe go on to the secondaries and so forth.
I have another piece ready to submit to Somerset for their "blue" theme.
Whoop! Here it is!

another publication

I am happy to say I have another piece that will be published in the upcoming Oct./Nov. 2006 issue of Legacy, another Somerset Studios publicaton.
It is from my "Her" Series.
Here is the image and description:

“Her loyalty was awesome” is digital images of my paternal grandmother Hassie Quinn. She was a simple, hard working wife and mother who took care of everyone in her family for as long as she lived. Even after her day at work in the textile mill, she came home and cooked, cleaned, raised three children. I love these images of her. My grandfather Claude was her main charge and she took care of him until the day he died. The images have been printed from my computer. The background of red, blue and white acrylics really emphasize the doll like image of her. The smaller images are mounted on foam core to add dimension and interest in design. The text is stamped with acrylic paint. The images are attached and coated with gel medium. The size of the piece is 17 X 8 inches.

still in love with watercolor

Despite all my recent fun with altered everything art, I still have the passion for watercolor I always had. This piece "She wasn't always blue" began as a collage and now I've done the watercolor version and am very pleased with it.
I hope you never give up your first passions whether in art or life. Each day is precious and you never know how many are left so I encourage you to love them all. Embrace each little fact about daily routine. There is comfort there!



Carpe Diem!
Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. ~Charles Richards

Manifesto

I read about a neat idea on another artist's site about writing a manifesto (Kelly Angard at http://www.creativecollage.blogspot.com/ a really cool site with lots of great images and info.
A manifesto is your own policy or standard for who you are and who you are becoming.
I decided to do a collage of words on an old watercolor landscape painting.
Here it is. I did add one more word after the photo so I just tagged it by cgi. It's a good exercise in deciding what is important to you. Something positive to focus on is better than fretting over any negativity.

New Studio Part II

Still evolving and organizing and planning and cleaning and whew! I'm tired. I had to stop and make art. Cleaning out your art areas or obtaining something new for it is a great catalyst. Yesterday alone I:

• finished a collage
• started a full sheet watercolor
• prepped pages for the collaborative woman journal
• planned another piece
• sketched new ATC's for Artella swaps
• sketched heritage women on a 2X3 foot canvas

I'm telling you. It works! If you haven't cleaned out your studio in a while or haven't went through that old box of stuff you were saving for "someday" or found a new item for you studio organization, then do it now. You will suddenly be making art so fast you want hardly be able to stand it. Just do it!

Here is a sample of that list:

Heart Felt Wishes

New studio

Well, not new but in the process of adding a huge work table and rearranging and discarding all the junk. I will post a picture when finished but for now.........here is some eye candy.....

How to stand out??????????

My art is growing with leaps and bounds but I still feel like my work looks like a take off on other peoples' works. So how do I make mine different?
I would love to have you browse my blog and give me some constructive ideas for finding my own style or tell me mine are very unique. I love what I'm doing but I need to step out of the crayon box and go for the WOW-I NEVER THOUGHT OF DOING THAT response.

Be thankful

I am thankful for my husband.
I am thankful for my son.
I am thankful for my mom.
I am thankful for my dad.
I am thankful for my God.
I am thankful for His Son, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to be who I am.
A CHRISTIAN!

Creativity

I have been working on a zine about creativity. I am happy to share it with anyone reading this blog.Just email me and I will gladly send it to you. cqt144w@mindspring.com
It is a word file so most can open it easily.
Here is a sample page.

Time for Art keeps me sane

In all the commitments and things to do I keep finding new stuff to do with my art and I am having a ball. Here is the latest and another version is in the works on canvas to give my friend.