Art is my life

Lately, I feel as if I just can't make enough art. I want to make art 24/7 but with a husband and college age son, I know there are other needs and priorities. I am constantly planning, thinking and wanting to complete all the ideas in my head but time, space and moola won't permit.

Meanwhile I'll just make all the art I can and share it with as many folks as I can.

If you remember an earlier post called Given By God, I'l love to share that little booklet of artwork and words with anyone interested. Just email your comments and address to me and I will gladly share it with you.

Here is the cover and a recent "given by God" poem, not included in the booklet.

Sitting by the creek
Feeling humble and meek
Save and protected by God’s own mercy and love
With angels soaring above
I feel His blessings and grace
Warm as the sun on my face
I look up and see the blue skies
Of God’s own eyes
Thanksgiving and gratitude
Are me current attitude
Knowing He care
Gives me all I need to bear
The struggles of this life
And all other strife
Peaceful and content
Will remain my mind’s bent

Who I wasn't yesterday

The moon wanes in the west as
The sun rises in the east
A new dawn
A new day
Lord help me be
Who I wasn't yesterday

I am always trying to be more caring, more creative, happier, kinder, calmer, more helpful, more Christian, healthier....all the things I think I should be and never succeed, so maybe each day should stand alone and I just try to be who I wasn't yesterday.

Image is wings to fly ATC

How long?

How long can I continue to make art for the Somerset artist calls? How long can I afford the postage to mail it and for return? It's very inspiring and challenging to do them. Maybe that should be my reward. I had this silly dream that I would be discovered and asked to design a line of work, be part of a book or have some other gem of recognition and possible income tossed my way. Wish there was such a company to work for here.

After yesterdays worries and borrowed troubles I 'm surprised I can even think art but I am. I am almost finished with 4 new ATC's for the next Artella Swap and here is a piece for the upcoming SS take in for Vintage Halloween issue. I call it Key to the Coven although I do not believe in witches and this lovely woman is certainly not a witch but I do believe women have a kind of personal magic within them and they hold the key to its power for their lives. Unfortunately, my key seems to fail to open the door most every time.

The image is a collage paper doll on a painted and textured piece of foam core with a message written in about my beliefs about this inner power women have. The key is an aged piece I found at a local craft store.

When is it finished

If you remember a few posts back I was trying to get work ready for the Hearts and Flowers Exhibit and did not like one of the collages I made... well I painted over it and now I love it!

Here are the two in comparison.

Tell me what you think:

Moral: Don't ever be afraid to paint over, collage over, alter anything you make. If you don't like it you can just do it again and again until you do.

First Tip In Swap

I have been making tip ins for my first swap in this area.

The theme is corsets and I am to make 10 to exchange for 10 different ones.

Specs are to make each 5X7 inches with a 1/2 inch left margin for binding and include at least one vintage image.

I chose to do an original watercolor image of a lady in her dressing room. I used foil for the mirror, a trasparency for the dress manikin, and a small framed vintage image for the wall. Various scrapbook papers were used for the backgrounds and prismacolor was colored in for the floor. Some of the figures are hand tinted and some are tinted on the computer.

Here are the 12 I made. I always seem to make extras. The backs include more vintage papers, a large vintage image from the front with the corset definition, and a small atc with my picture, bio and contact info.

an early rising

I just couldn't sleep once I got up to go to the bathroom!

Does anyone else do that? Aches, pains, worries, thoughts, to do's...my mind is awake but my body isn't ready for the day.......

Bible study was great last night....fear...we all have it at some point in our lives...but what about those of us who cant' seem to shake it? We hide it, disguise it, ignore it, pray about it, hide it some more!But it never really goes away! Why? Where did it come from? How do we get fearful? Why do we fear things that will most likely never happen? Why do we fear things we KNOW will happen when there's NOTHING we can do to prevent it?

Am I crazy or normal?

An aside: I am almost finished with my angel altered book so I will be posting images:

Here's a favorite 2 page spread, maybe not for beauty but for idea and content: it's all about angels protecting us and we entertaining them unaware of their presence.

always thinking ART

I admit art is my guilty passion....

I am constantly thinking, doing, making, planning ART!

I have just committed to my first "tip-in" swap with a corset theme.

Here is the piece in progress.

Background is scrapbooking paper, figure and reflection is original design hand painted watercolor image , mirror is foil, stool is original wc image and vintage image is the framed wall piece of a lady in a corset. Each piece is glued on separately and the base is watercolor paper or card stock with the left 1/2 verticle edge free for attaching to book.

Treasures in My Heart Series

These are the pieces for the Hearts and Flowers exhibit sponsored by the Gaston County Art Guild at The City Club in Gastonia, NC for the month of February.

I, II, and III. Mixed media collages 2 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches matted and framed 12 x 14 inches.

I used scraps from pallettes, papers, scrapbook mesh, and a heart cut from paste paper in each. Assembled with mat medium and then covered in Mod Podge, a decoupage medium that really gave the pieces depth and shine.

Productivity Vs Creativity

Sometimes it's both. Many times I work and work and work and work and have almost nothing to show for it and sometimes I work and work and work and have much to show and appreciate.

I have had a very productive week, finishing work for my next Somerset Studio submission - 3 Nature items, 8 ATC's for the latest Artella swaps, have work ready to frame for an annual Valentine exhibit and more things planned to get busy with as soon as I clean up the studio from all of this. I can work in a mess for only so long and then MUST clean and reorganize to get going again.

I recently was able to get a friend to finally admit she understands my need for time and space to create. She also admitted she now thinks of me as an artist not a hobbyist. How do I get the rest of the people I know to realize this?

I'm also involved with a small group of ladies at a local art and history museum who are trying to get a local ATC swap group started.

So I say all this to say this:

PRODUCE and CREATE as much as you can as often as you can for as long as you can!

great beginnings

everyday is a time for a great beginning....not just january 1 or monday but everyday we are allowed to get up and breathe in fresh air for a new day we can start over, better, bigger, happier than the day before....

i guess i am feeling particularly hopeful because my son is beginning his last semester of college, my husband is beginning his last year of work before retireing and we hope to begin building our retirement home soon after and i am working hard on my art and teaching (16 art students now-biggest class ever) so i feel very blessed and ready to begin each day of 2007 with enthusiasm and great expectations for a wonderful life....it is you know.

church was also inspiring this morning and has left me full of hope for a wonderful year as well.

just looked at a great new website you may want to check out. actually it's not new but revamped....find it at http://zurabeth.com copy and paste this link into your browser. enjoy!

check out these other places while you are browsing as well....

http://artellaartistcards.blogspot.com/

http://www.gastoncountyartguild.com/tessnear.html

http://www.artellawordsandart.com/ChrisTessnear.html

http://claudinehellmuth.blogspot.com/

http://www.michelleward.typepad.com/

sometimes it's better in the mind

I had all these wonderful ideas for pieces for the annual Hearts and Flowers art exhibit for February. None have turned out as planned. Collages lacking gusto. Canvases lacking umph.

So I'm now trying a couple of simple watercolors. Back to the drawing board then I guess...literally!

valentine faux stamp

I have been working today on images for the annual Hearts and Flowers exhibit for the City Club in Gastonia. I'm doing some of my funky canvas collages and in the process invented faux stamps with one of my previous watercolors. I'm including it here and you may want to use it in a collage and send me the image to see. I'm using them in multiples as packing tape transfers and letters to convey my message of "love makes the world go round" along with a clip art image of a couple. I'll post it when finished.

Given by God: random thoughts while walking

Dear Lord,
You and You alone
Know my heart
You gave me my art
You alone know my soul
You made me whole
You alone know our spirit
You allow others to hear it

God’s voice can be heard in the wings of birds.
Their songs are His words.

It's WHO I Am

I had a call from a lady at church about taking the Worship chair position again.
I said No but that I'd pray about it. I just learned the hard way that I have to say No when I need to say No. I just about get sick myself when I think of meetings and chairing anything. I think God understands and I know He has a different plan for me right now.
I am trying to find it through prayer and my art even. I know I have been able to reach and minister through my art for him. I know I even do it without realizing it. When the lady called to ask me to exhibit at the Little Theater, it was a Christian Christmas play and she said she had seen my work enough to know it fit the theme. I was honored by that comment alone. I prayed over the pieces I took and hoped that above all my art may speak to someone's needs whether any sales were made or not. Well, I had no sales but I pray the art did speak to the viewers. I don't try to overly make my art a message of Christ but somehow it comes through
by him and his power. That was proved to me when a friend saw the crosses in the sky of the UAC piece. Well, art is my ministry right now and until God nudges me somewhere else that's where I'll stay. I can't begin to try to explain this to most people but I think you, the artist, will hear it and understand it. Art takes time and if I don't give it the time it deserves, it will suffer. So will I. I read yesterday in an article different artist's top ten lists of things, so I made my own top ten list of why I make art. High on my priority was that it is who I am and what I do and that without it I would lose a big part of my heart and soul, who I am.

This piece called Broad River is an older piece but it speaks

to my spirit right now and this message.

keeping busy

Finally, I have all the holiday "stuff" put away. Why is it so fun in the beginning and such a chore at the end? I love Christmas and all it entails but I pretty much do it all and most women and get tired of not having help. But....I'll do it again next Christmas....

moving on....

I am gessoing a blank book to make into an altered book on angels. Got to do something with all those beautiful Christmas cards. ..

I am working on a shrine of my maternal grandmother, using a wooden pastels case, given to me by a retired artist...

I am ready to start back with my Woman journal coop project...

I am ready to start that new watercolor I sketched on wc paper 3(?) years ago of my son and I at the beach when he was less than 2. He's 22 now...

I need to pick up art from the Holiday shows...

I am trying to find valances to match the curtains that I got to match the new quilt I got for Christmas...

I am planning my lessons for my art class for the quarter...

I am trying to finish the directory for our UMW at church....

Like I said....keeping busy....

New Beginnings?

Who am I kidding? I've already made all the same mistakes I have for the past several decades of new beginnings. Why am I so hard headed and stubborn and out of control? Is it hormonal? I do blame all my bad habits and attitudes on hormones since menopause hit a year ago.

That's no excuse!

SNAP OUT OF IT!

Get it together and ENJOY the rest of your LIFE!

Worry free.

Healthy.

Happy.

Content!

Women for ages have had these problems and worse and WON!!!!!

Happy New Year

Trust God for the New Year!

Find Peace through His Son.

Find Joy in His Spirit.

Accept His Gift of salvation.

Share it with all.

Revelation

I had a revelation in the strangest place-a financial planner's office. . .

I keep looking for the path I'm suppose to be on....well, at 51 years old, maybe this is the path God intends for my life. Maybe it's wasted energy to seek a path; maybe it finds us. We may waste a great walk on this earth for the short time we are given if we are too concerned with the path search. God created us and understands us. He knows our needs, strengths,and desires. He gave them to us. It only makes sense that he directs us and settles our journey. He gave us free will and choices but if we stay in tune with His spirit then our spirit finds its true destination.

The image attached is a group of mini collages I recently made. It was great fun gluing bits and pieces of color, texture and painted swatches on tiny bits of cardstock. I covered the finished product with Mod Podge which really added a great deal of depth.

Trust and Accept

Not a resolution but hopefully a way of life for 2007.

Trust and accept.

The past is passed.

Revel in it.

Trust and accept.

The future isn't here yet,

Look forward to it.

Trust and accept.

Today is the present,

A gift.

Use it wisely.

Happy New Year!

A Glorious Day

My husband is home after a two week business trip.

My son is home from college for the holidays and

we were all in church together.

I felt so blessed.

I saw a family with the father's arms around his wife and daughter. He just had brain

cancer and is on chemo and healing. How blessed they felt.

I heard many describe what JOY is to them and it was such a blessing.
I wanted to witness myself but knew if I tried I'd cry.

If you are reading this and haven't found Christ, this is the perfect time, to pray and receive

his salvation and join the family of God.

Christmas Mania!

It's almost Christmas and my ideal simple enjoy the moment has turned into the usual do too much, too tired to enjoy, list of things that I ALWAYS do. Do I do it for me? For them? For show?

What is the reason and now did I get like this?

I declare my calendar use to have more days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than it does now so what happened?

I still need to do some baking, a tiny bit of shopping, wrapping and then stop and have Christmas.

My dad who is working a job he loves after retiring from his career in textiles is actually working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and that really bothers me. We will get together on the 23rd! Oh well!

Merry Christmas! The reason for the season is found in a humble manger...the baby Jesus in a feeding trough!

Time

for me
for my art
for my thoughts
for exploring
for gathering
for releasing
for finding
for living
for appreciating
for understanding
for enjoying
for remembering
for knowing

Creative Integrity

Don't you hate it when you have to make art that is acceptable as a creative effort even when your style is to throw caution to the wind and be as free, tacky and different as you want. I'me dealing with that right now by changing the styles of collage for gifts I am making for family.

Look at the two and see which you find more creative. Let me know what you think.

Also, I am getting work ready to show at the local Little Theater for their holiday production.

Of course I feel obligated to show what the public accept rather than who I am as an artist.

PS I also realize that people who read other people's blogs get disappointed when they check a few times and see no updates but as all of us I stay busy just staying afloat so I tend to blog only when I have something new to say or show. Be patient with me.

a day of FrUsTrAtIoN

I hate to start stuff and not finish....

With a yard full of oaks though you never finish getting up leaves until late winter or early spring.

So I spent 2 1/2 hours getting up the piles in the front yard and then got the lawn mower out to cut up and pile up more until suddenly the mower wouldn't move! Belt! I think but it appears to be in place. Leaf clog! No!

So there it sits waiting for Terry to get home and figure it out and get himself frustrated.

Did some cleaning and sorting but too much to finish in one day so I here I sit writing this and waiting to finish the leaves, finish dinner, and get on with my evening plans.

But how BEAUTIFUL fall is despite the frustration of leaf maintenance............

Good Motivation

Even though artists, true artists, must make and create and perform even when there's not a request or commission....
it is great motivation to receive some validation.
I won a Merit Award in the Gaston Co. Art Guild members only Miniature art show.
The Road to a Friends House is Never Long

Always Learning

I was making great progress on my commission for UAC holiday concert, even had a color test piece started when I discovered a huge
error. One that even existed on the Christmas card piece of Unity Place from long ago. The steeple was not right. I guess I could have gone with and called it artistic license but it really bothered me, so I tape paper over the error, redrew it right, then it was too big for the size I'm trying to do to make it work for the printer; I reduced it at the post office copier last night after Bible study, came home and put it on the light box, traced it on wc paper; finally I think it's ready to start again. Everything is a learning experience. I keep telling my kids that drawing is mostly looking and seeing and I didn't follow my own advice.
Here is today's verse given by God...Autumn's Golden Light.

Daybreak

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.