Art unraveled

Here I come!!


I've been revisiting my classes and making fresh samples oh what fun! The Circles class has filled up quite nicely but there is a lot of room in the Three Times Charming class. Consider it as a very intimate setting and chance to pick my brain. Seriously. I won't cancel for low numbers.

Both classes are similar in that we are working on claybord using texture including the fantabulous Wood Icing. We will also cut simple stencils in the Three Times Charming class.

And for vending I will offer my own stencils plus the debut of 2 coordinating clear stamps. They are pretty cool if I do say so myself.

So come join us. It's going to be a lot of fun, you can count on that!


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Open Studio Weekend

If you are in the St. Louis area, it's Open Studio weekend sponsored by The Contemporary Art Museum. For artists with studios outside city limits, the museum provides alternative space which is really cool!


You can visit me at 3842 Washington on Sunday from 10-4. Stop by to visit! I'm sharing the space with a bunch of other artists so there will be a lot to see. And I'll let you in on a little secret......there might be bargains....and you can count on me serving Sangria!



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And the water is fine

Early morning journal time.


Quiet. Stillness. Peace.
In the midst of a family reunion trip, I haven stolen away to the boat dock. And I sit. Watching fish jump, observing the Swallow momma tend her young. Breathe in. Breathe out. Bliss.


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Books du jour

I have been on a bit of a book buying spree lately. I guess I should add the phrase 'as usual' to this sentence because I do really adore books. I use the library for books that I want to read, fiction type stuff, but I really like to own art books. Here are a few that I like:

Carla's book is a must-have for anyone who wants to loosen up and capture the true fun of drawing. Her personality shines through on every page and her drawings are so delightful I find myself smiling as I read. The book is formatted in weekly sections which is genius. It's my intent to work through it with my grandson and I know we will have a blast.

I saw this book at Anthropology last week and I might have accidentally drooled all over it. I did go home and order it off Amazon though simply because it saved a considerable sum. Being a painter, I find myself chuckling at lots of the studio pics in the gorgeous eye candy magazines (you know the ones I am talking about) on the market today. Sure I read them and love them, but my studio doesn't look anything like that. My place is a pig sty. Stains on the floor, paint marks on the walls, dirty coffee cups, petrified paint palettes, all sorts of yuck everywhere. I simply can't help myself, I get pretty passionate and really feel stifled if I try to stay clean. My furniture is all used and was free (picked up on garbage day). I would be nuts to furnish my studio with nice things.

So anyhoo, imagine my thrill when I pick up this book and see a bunch of famous contemporary painters (I am talking about big famous names like Eric Fischl and April Gornik) whose studios are a wreck too - the kind of mess I produce - whew, I thought there might be something wrong with me (ha! that's a topic for another day). In depth and interesting interviews accompany the photos and this is a book I know I will read in its entirety. Simply fascinating to me, a little like crawling into the heads of these artists.  Drool, drool......

The Sweet Life

Doodling by the water, how divine.


And I am restored and filled with new ideas.

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Art 4 Your Home

And today I am featured on another website. Specifically my painting, The Firmament. Catherine, the reviewer, really gets it about my paintings. That is kind of cool. As an abstract painter, I often don't know whether people like my work for the colors (because it matches their sofa) or if they discern some deeper meaning. Obviously there is a message or implication to every piece.

Click Here to see the feature and thank you, Catherine, for doing this!!

Featured Artist - Creative Therapy

Several months ago I was contacted by Karen of Creative Therapy and she asked me to be feature artist. I was given a variety of 'catalysts' to chose from. Today is my day - check it out at this link:
Creative Therapy
Kind of weird that I chose such a sad topic and it is featured on my 50th birthday. But it seems very apropoa in some strange way.

Oh where oh where has my little blog gone?

Sorry for the interruption in programming, good grief I have been buzzing around in about a million different directions lately - writing tons of blog posts in my head, mind you. Yet none of them seem to make it to the page. That being the case, thought I would try something different today and do some free form.....

Ok.

Tuesday was a near perfect day. My friend Julie (no blog or I would link her up) invited me over to play with encaustics. I have never dabbled in this medium before and oh my do I ever have the bug. LOVE IT. And yeah, I guess I am shouting. I think there might be some encaustics in my future. Here are my first efforts. I know they are not brilliant, but I do like the way they turned out especially considering it was my first try. I reallyreallyreally want to do more of this.

In the meantime, I've been at work in the studio on a commission that is now complete and ready for shipping. I can't show you because the client hasn't seen it yet, plus I couldn't get any decent shots of it for some crazy reason.

Also making lots of new pieces for the upcoming show in St. Joseph, MI - Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff if you happen to live in that area. If you don't live in the area, you might want to plan a road trip as it is adorable and quaint and artsy and, well, the weather is cooler than St. Louis. Although we are having this unbelievable spell of gorgeous sunny yet coolish days that are so rare in these parts.

I am working on the Author Review for my book which is kinda cool. This is when I get to see it all put together for the very first time and it is quite exciting. Plus starting to feel a lot more real. I am even beginning to think about how to promote and launch the book. I really want to travel around and promote it in conjunction with teaching classes, books signings, etc. If anybody out there in blogland has suggestions for me, I would love them. The book comes out in February which will of course be here in the blink of an eye the way things are going lately.

Wishing I could get some more peeps signed up for my classes at Art Unraveled. I am going into a whine here.....typically I attract a decent crowd, but not so much this time, hmmm, maybe because it's my first time there and people haven't heard of me, I don't know. But I will say that if you have ever thought of doing a class with me, consider it. Small classes make for incredible quality time and I do love that even though a girl's gotta make a living. Or at least this girl does.

And finally, getting ready for all sorts of parties this weekend. Holy moly it will be fun and festive and will involve Pop Rocks (more on that later) - these are early birthday celebrations as I move toward the big Five Oh! Which occurs officially on Wednesday. In case you were wondering.

And, oh yeah, there is a really cute picture of me (yes, I really did just say that but seriously, it was flattering - I was so stunned I even showed it to the cashier at Barnes and Noble, that's what a dork I am) in La Vie Claire magazine. It's part of an article about Elizabeth MacCrellish who runs Squam. There are 2 shots of one of my classes (fall last year). My family always teases me about posing every time I'm within eye shot of a camera. Which of course I did when the film crew showed up in my classroom. Hence the photo of me smiling (while teaching). Good grief. Embarrassing and sweet all at the same time, she says, as she smacks self in head.