Destination Creativity Blog Hop

We have a winner, woo hoo!!!! Contest is over, thanks so much for entering :)

Have you heard that Ricë has a new book? You all know who I'm talking about, right?  Ricë Freeman-Zachery, writer extraordinaire! Maybe you saw her hilarious video book promo? Maybe you heard people talking about the book at a recent retreat? Maybe you have already pre-ordered a copy? Or perhaps you wanna WIN a copy? More on that in a minute.

Ricë's new book, Destination Creativity: The Life-Altering Journey of the Art Retreat is all about Art Retreats. She and Earl (her hubby, aka The EGE or the Photographer) spent a year touring the country and attending Art Retreats, interviewing artists and kind of documenting 'the scene.' I ran into them several times, first was Artfest 2010. Naturally I had heard of Ricë, I mean she is a celebrity in my world. So I was more than a wee bit star struck. And yeah, I acted ignorant like I do when I get nervous and don't know what to say. But thank goodness I got to know them better. Cause they are such fun folks!! 

Since Ricë spends so much time interviewing artists, I thought it was high time someone turned the tables and asked her some questions. So how about a little back story.....some of the nitty gritty, never been told details, revealed right here, right now (oh my goodness, I feel like a tabloid writer). Because I dare to ask the questions, tee, hee, hee........and share the answers. Read on for my interview with Ricë.

1. You have such a strong sense of personal style and make/alter/dye many of your clothes. As a 'fashion chameleon' I am curious as to when and how your style developed?

Thanks, Mary Beth! I’ve been obsessed with my clothes as far back as I can remember. My mother and I would go shopping for my school clothes, but not in clothing stores; we’d go to the fabric store and pick out fabric and patterns. But not just A Pattern. Nope. My mother would get one pattern for the bodice, and one for the skirt, and another for the sleeves. I would describe what I wanted, and she would bring it to life. She indulged me totally. My favorite outfit in grade school was an orange corduroy jumper worn over an orange-and-white striped long-sleeved t-shirt with orange fish-net tights, burnt orange patent leather shoes, with an orange plaid poncho my mother made and finished with a rabbit fur collar from an old coat. I ADORED this outfit and would have worn it every single day if I could have gotten away with it. I started altering my own clothes when I was in high school, embellishing my jeans and swapping out the buttons on my workshirts every night. I was inspired by Native Funk and Flash and just kept on going.

2. Prolific is your middle name! How do you find your writing inspiration and do you ever face the blank page syndrome. If so, how do you handle those moments?

Mostly I work on assignment, and those have deadlines, and I’m really good with deadlines. So I don’t have a lot of trouble getting started. I’m *kind of* (snort) anal-retentive about it. But if I have something huge to do--a book, for instance--I get started by setting my own deadlines and working back from those, picking a day to start and telling myself, “OK. Today you need to write just the first sentence, and then you can stop.” Since I really love to write more than just about anything, once I get the first sentence, I want to keep going. I love the process of writing; it’s just that, like most people, I dread getting started on something huge. By telling myself I can take baby steps, I’m off and running. It’s kind of pathetic when you use reverse psychology on yourself, isn’t it?

3. Ok, so who did the driving, you or Earl or do you take turns? What do you do in the car - listen to music, books, work on hand sewing, etc?

Earl drove every. Single. Inch. Of the entire trip. I didn’t even back the car out of the parking space at the hotels. We have music on the iPhone going through the speakers, and I sew whenever I’m not navigating. I love road trips where I can get a ton of stitching done--that’s why I love going to Dallas or Houston--it’s far enough that I can get a lot done, but we’ve done it so many times I don’t have to navigate at all. The truck could drive itself.

4.What's up with all the animals in your car? 

Those are Car Toys. The SUV is so big and empty, we thought it needed some toys. Some are ones friends made for us, and some are those you buy at Kohl’s for $5 and the money is donated to some good cause. You need toys, you know?

5. When did you start with the tattoos and are they your own design? Are you still adding more tattoos?

Until I was 45, I had brown hair that was below my waist--I could sit on it--one set of holes in my earlobes, and not even the slightest interest in tattoos. I’d never even thought of getting one. Then I started going through menopause, and, man, did my life change. By the time I figured out what was going on, I had a couple tattoos, very little hair, and a bunch more holes in my ears. Better than joining the circus or having an affair, for sure. I haven’t gotten any tattoos in several years--I had the whole melanoma thing with checkups for two years, and I kind of got out of the habit. 

6. Your favorite road food? Snacks you keep in the car?

We’re not really snackers. [of course they aren't, this is MB talking, because they have amazing friggin' bodies and, well, how did I think they maintained them, duh, stupid question on my part .] We’re pretty disciplined about what and when we eat, but when we travel, we do make some allowances. Earl gets ice cream every now and then, and I will sometimes eat Cheetos, which is pretty much like eating deep fried salt with a shovelful of fat. Sure, I feel guilty for abusing my arteries. Also bloated. And thirsty. But, oooooh, the crunchiness! 

7. I know (for sure) that you love to hit used clothing stores, can you reveal your favorites around the country?

Ha! You know the answer to that one: My Sister’s Closet (all four fabulous locations!) in Phoenix, introduced to us by Jeanie Thorn. Here in Midland, I love BJ’s (yeah, the name always makes me snort, too, especially since the sign for the shop features just the name and a huge pair of lips. For years I thought it was a naughty lingerie shop, which is totally laughable if you know Midland, Texas (they’d have the sheriff shut it down in a heartbeat)). I’d love it if people would take me to their favorites when we travel, but Jeanie is one of the few who’s willing to share. Most people keep their sources pretty secret, you know?

Would you like a chance to win a copy of Rice's book? Oh I know you would! Please leave me a comment below and you will be entered for the book drawing. 
If you want to go ahead and order the book now, you can hit the link below. 
Be sure to check out the other stops on the Blog Hop!  

Thursday, October 6th: Carla Sonheim 
Friday, October 7th: Lisa Myers Bulmash 
Saturday, October 8th: Melissa Manley 
Sunday, October 9th: Deryn Mentock 
Monday, October 10th: Jen Cushman
Tuesday, October 11th: Jill Berry
 And don't forget to visit Ricë's blog here.

My summer vacation - ICA Boston

After I left Squam, I drove down to Boston to pick up the hubster who was flying in from St. Louis. I knew I would have a little extra time and I wanted to see the Swoon exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. 

Swoon is a street artist who has gone museum, woo hoo for her, huh? I adore her work because of the printmaking and of course all the paper cuts. They are incredibly intricate and honestly I can not even imagine how her mind conceptualizes these pieces.

At ICA Boston, the piece spans their lobby area and then sort of meanders over into an elevator shaft where you can view the work from various floors. Needless to say it is hard to photograph. I swear I walked around with my mouth hanging open the entire time. Really cool. I wanted to take the papercuts home with me. LOVED.THEM.
Go watch this video to see what I am talking about.

Encaustic Landscape (of sorts)

 Recent encaustic work that I completed while I was at Squam. 

It is so rare I demo and then actually complete a piece during class. 

But I like these.

That goes to show you I was really relaxed. 

And that's a good thing.

The Journey called Squam

This is the third year I have been privileged to teach at Squam.
SAW is a difficult event to explain. One, because it isn't really an 'event' per se; it is more of an experience, a journey.

Kelley, Susan, Sue, Kathy

I shared a large house with 12 other women, some I knew from my first year, others I met this year. To say they were all special sounds idiotically trite, but they really were. I felt a connection with each and every woman, this deep visceral thing that doesn't lend itself to words.
It is so odd to me how this group of incredibly diverse people migrate to Squam each year and how the right ones manage to find and connect with one another. Like I always find the exact person I need at the exact moment. I don't know how it happens really, I am convinced it's magic conjured up by Elizabeth and somehow dispersed through a wand??
I took very few photos this year, preferring to sap up the feelings instead. But now I wish I had more photos. I wish I could have captured a shot showing the spirit of friendship that developed in our house, a camaraderie so natural it was as if we had known each other forever.

Linda and Jacqueline

Mary's butt - the quote says Live fully, Laugh often, Leave a legacy.

But it wasn't just about my housemates. I saw other people too, my teaching peers, people of whom I am IN AWE, like how can I even be part of this inspiring group!?!?
Jen Lee, who I met my 1st year; she is an ancient spirit I am certain of that, uncanny wisdom in such a young body. And Misty, what a treat for me to see her a second time this year! And Flora. Ok, maybe I have just a wee little crush on Flora. Me and the rest of the world, that woman is on fire, simply radiating beauty in everything she does. Pixie, it was the first time I met her, another old soul - naturally I knew who she was, but was stunned when she knew who I was, geez, I am such a dork like that, all self confidence on the outside but a bundle of insecurities on the inside.
And Elizabeth, always the hostess with the mostess, what a legacy she has built. I soooooo admire that.

Ice block at the Art Faire

And my students, with their love of learning and willingness to try new techniques. Sadly, my photos of their work did not turn out, but suffice to say I was blown away by the work they produced, wow, wow, wow! They filled me up.

Another Star Pupil

You may recall that I taught in Chicago at the CREATE retreat in August. Oh was it ever fun, hope I get to do it again next year. Anyhow, I did a Circle Mania Class and Peggy Wilkinson was one of my students. She did great work in class, but then went home and made a CLOCK! Wowza, what a terrific idea. Needless to say, it is gorgeous, and look how amazing with her pieces from class. Great job, Peggy and thank you so much for allowing me to share your creations.

This is so gratifying to me you can not imagine. Oh be still my heart :)
Happy weekend, everyone. Let's all paint, how about it!?!?!?

Star Pupil

Since I have run away from home(joke), I apparently am not generating intelligent blog content at the moment. But! Lucky for me, one of my students from Art Unraveled has been working away......check out his post here.
Thanks, Don!!!
And keep making those color charts, what a great way to enhance your painting skills. For those of you wondering, there is a chapter in my book which includes the instructions much like the class I teach.

Where oh where is Mary Beth

Resting.....

reflecting and remembering;

thinking and musing.

But not too hard.

Sewing with Stencils

Some of you dear readers follow me over on Facebook and noticed my post about my stiff neck and shoulder.......from my hand sewing efforts no less.



Well, here it is. My second altered t-shirt using my stencils (the first debuts in the next issue of Pasticcio)
I first saw The Incredible Jenny Doh using one of my stencils on a scarf. Then I saw stencils used as applique patterns in the The Alabama Stitch book. So why not mine?
I think Pam Carriker's WING or Judy Wise's ROOSTER or Michelle Ward's CIRCLE RAY or Patricia Seggebruch Baldwin's BUBBLES would be amazing........and just think, you could paint the design too.
Ohohoh!!! I just remembered, has anyone else seen the new Martha Stewart paints at Michael's? The display said they would work on glass, ceramic, fabric, metal.....hmmmm, don't tell me I need to try yet another product?? Has anyone tried them yet?

Lookee Here - Podcast time

Oh me oh my, it is with a little ok, a lot of trepidation that I announce 

Ricë Freeman-Zachery has done a Podcast with me. 

I can't listen to it, seriously I can't. My voice drives me crazy for one thing. Plus I have already heard it, being there while it was recorded, ya know. 

Ricë is so fun I forgot we were recording. 

Consequently there were several times I was possibly a bit too animated for a podcast. 

Ahem.

Just saying. 

Seriously though, I adore Ricë. She is a wonderfully caring individual and I have such respect for all the contributions she makes in our little patch of the art world. Take a minute to check out the content on her Voodoo Cafe Blog or over at Create mixed Media. How does she do it all!?!?

And listen to my Podcast......if you must......oh geez, I think I was probably supposed to publicize this better......

Happy Weekend everyone.

Triad Color Theory - with just 3 paints

This past weekend, at Create Chicago, I taught Color Moods, which is basically a half day color theory class based on different Triads of Red/Yellow/Blue. The idea is to work very abstractly with the paints, trying out a few triads until you find one that suits your mood. This project is outlined in my book too in case you are interested.

One of my students, Bette Brody, loved(!!!!) Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Paints. Using the Triad - Dash of Red, Smidge of Blue, Dab of Yellow (and white), you can make such pretty colors - I mean look how happy these colors are - they make me smile!

And the little pieces that Bette cut out?  They are adorable abstract compositions, aren't they?

Destination: Creativity

Rice Freeman Zachery's latest book. I saw a sneak preview when I was at Art Unraveled and can't wait to get a copy of my own so I can wallow page by page.
Check out this delightful video promotion. There is silly footage of me dancing (omg, that is too much information) and hanging a spoon from my nose. The retreats are so much fun.......and we even make art too, ha!!!

Adding or Subtracting

I am fascinated with the idea of adding or subtracting. Have no fear, I am not talking about math, just hang with me for a moment.....I remember the exact moment this occurred - I was at an artist's talk being given by local sculptor Iain Fraser.....someone asked him if his process was completely additive.....to which he replied, "yes" and then talked about that for awhile. I listened with one ear as I pondered my own process.
To be honest, I had never thought about this before as it seemed a little esoteric. But the more I pondered (and yeah, I get totally obsessive this way, especially in the middle of the night, ha!) the more I came to understand that my process is both Additive and Subtractive. Very strange for a girl who has never enjoyed Math.

"Happy Birthday Mr. Turner" 30" x 30"

(You can click on both of these images to enlarge, by the way)

"Ode to a Wall" 24" x 18"

These are my most recent explorations. There is a lot of additive followed by a lot of subtractive including use of a palm sander, distressing down into the layers......plus, the white squares were carved out of the finished piece, back to the white of the Claybord - don't the squares look like confetti? I will confess that the palm sander was slightly scary and I felt out of control during that part. But maybe that's a good thing?

Artfest 2012

I swear I am on a perpetual swirl. But I am not dizzy......
Anyway, I forget if I mentioned that Artfest is up and open and registrations need to be sent in very soon. Teesha will start to open and process them (by lottery) on September 1st.

 I am thrilled beyond belief to be teaching 3 classes. You an see lots more detail on the site but I thought I would tease you with some images just because that is how I am.

 I sooooooo look forward to Artfest. For me, in addition to teaching, I meet up with friends who I see only at this event. Artfest is a pilgrimage of sorts, for us to gather and spend time together making art, such an amazing way to honor our creative souls. Teesha and Tracy have created something magical with Artfest, the original art retreat, in its 13th year. Whether teaching or student-ing, I lovelovelove to attend!! There is something indescribably delicious about being part of a huge gathering of like minded souls. Oh swoon goes my heart......

Art Unraveled 2011

All I can say is wow, wow, wow and wow. What a great time I had this year - caught up with old friends, made new friends, taught classes to genius students, signed books, sold stencils, ate good food, bought art supplies (mica from Dan Essig!!) and jewelry (bracelet from Ruth Rae, earrings from Deryn Mentock).
Now I'm back home, slept 12 hours straight last night I was so exhausted. Geez.....

But I'm back in action and made a little slide show.....wish I had taken more pics, but I lost my camera at one point (lucky for me it was found). Hopefully you can get a flavor of the event. The Embassy Suite is a sweet place to hang out and Linda and Chuck do a first class job. I need to put together my class proposals for next year, any suggestions? I have some ideas, but would love to hear what my blog readers have to say about this too.

Open Studio Recap

Here are some pictures that Greg took at Open Studio. This first picture is the view from the door. That is Dawson standing on the left, her ceramic art in the middle. Straight ahead is the Flat File draped with paint stained tarps (as a tablecloth). It was a cool and artsy touch, Dawson's clever idea. I think that me, Greg & Dawson put together a pretty nice show if I do say so myself. I felt very proud.

 

The bottom picture is 'my' view from my painting table. As you can see, even when given tons of space, I manage to reduce my working area to postcard size. Geez......
On the left, my stepdaughter and one of my grandsons admiring Dawson's work.
The entire event was a roaring success and CAM did a great job - the best year ever! We had quite a nice crowd of people come through, pretty much a steady stream of people all day long. It was so neat to talk to folks who asked interesting questions and seemed to have a genuine interest in the artistic process - I love being able to share my passion with like minded peeps.
So now I am headed out to Art Unraveled. If you are in the Phoenix area, you can even sign up last minute and still take a class.
And..........registration for Squam closes on 8/15.
And, wait, there's more.........classes for Artfest are up!! Details on the site. It is a stellar lineup with return teachers (I am so thrilled to be back) as well as exciting new names. I can.not.wait.

Circling round Encaustics

Yes I am mad for Encaustic Painting.



Yes I am mad for circles.



See what happens?

Summer Studio

You may recall I sublet a studio for the summer. Yes, I do already have a studio in my home, so this is an indulgence to say the least. I felt I needed time away - time to percolate new ideas, push myself in fresh directions. Time when I am not be lulled into laundry and other nagging chores around the house. Time to take risks with my art.

 'My' space is in the back, see the glow coming from the doors? It is part of a larger space, shared by several artists, only one whom I have met thus far. The common workshop (shown here) is filled with power tools and has a fabulous ceiling that allows light (and heat, I might add) to pour into the space.

When you walk through 'my' doors, this is what you see. Swoon, double swoon. I adore this place. So spacious and spare. I brought canvasses, paint, brushes. That is it. Everything else belongs to the true owner of the space, lucky lucky man that he is, painting in Paris for a couple months.

This is where I am working. See those canvasses leaning against the white wall in the back? They are 30x40. Now you see what I mean about size. Of course I am still working 'small', ha, ha as evidenced by the ones on the wall. Big is coming soon though.
It feels so expansive with amazing energy - something I can't quite put my finger on, but it is all good. I'm headed out there right now.

Style File

Check it out HERE. Seth Apter, The Pulse. My art & comment are featured today.
I also returned from Encausticamp today. Geez, still reeling from all the waxy goodness. Even better than the art-making was the comraderie of like-minded people. I was sad leaving. Once I come down from my 'high' I will share some details. But right now I am wallowing with John and the kitties. Ok, maybe that was too much information :)

Wax Portrait

If someone had told me I could paint an encaustic portrait I would have told them they were delusional. Yet here it is.....from my class with Judy Wise.

Is it great? No, not really. But I am still proud and so anxious to try another one.
And oh, did I mention I only used Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Black & White? Just like the Egyptian Fayum portraits from the 1st century BC. Crazy, huh?
Encausticamp waxes on today when I am in class with Michelle Belto.

Experience Mixed Media art in France: announcing La Cascade

Have you been wondering about my exciting news? I am still pinching myself over this one, seems so unbelievable how could it possibly be real? I am teaching in Durfort, France next year, at La Cascade. 
Durfort is a small town southeast from Toulouse; imagine a 17th century house, perched next to a babbling river. Adventures abound - hiking (Roman ruins, anyone?), museums (Toulouse, Goya), markets, and food from our in house chef. And art. There is always art. I need it to breathe and I know you do too or you wouldn't be reading this.

So, what will I teach, you might ask?

I want to journey back to my roots of collage and painting and writing. I want us to feel the gentle influence of the land, taste the flavors, experience the light and energy of this fabulous location and allow it to guide our art. If we look and listen the roots will grow and sprout a new voice.

Photos of LaCascade courtesy of Dayle Doroshow, published with her permission

I am limiting the number of students to keep it very small. One of the things I have learned from Valley Ridge is the incredible gift of intimacy. It is a dance really, when one is attempting to earn a living - do I accept a lot of students (ie, more money) or do I keep it small? Well, this time I am keeping it small, very very small. 


June 8-15, 2012. $1800 includes lodging, majority of food and class. More details available upon request, shoot me an email or comment if you are seriously interested. I don't plan to do widespread advertising.

Heating up for Encausticamp

I've been painting a lot with encaustics as I prepare to leave for Encausticamp. Yeah, I know, that's a little crazy since I'm heading out there to learn about encaustics, why do I need to 'pre' study. What can I say, I consider myself a newbie with this medium and I just can't seem to get enough right now.
I will be taking classes from Michelle Belto, Judy Wise and Bridgette Guerzon Mills. Should be a fabulous experience.

I'm traveling with my friend Julie and we are so compatible in our ways. We are flying out early to spend a little extra time in Portland being tourists since we have never been there before. If anyone has suggested 'must see' places, just let me know, ok? We plan to catch up with Dayna, a friend from Artfest and I bet she knows some great spots, but the more the merrier.


And oh!! The 5th edition of The Pulse comes comes out this Saturday, with posts also on Sunday and Monday. Thereafter you can look for weekly posts every Sunday.  I have put a link over on my sidebar so you can easily click over to it. I submitted some material but I'm not sure when mine will be published. I'll let you know.

Art Heals

Jenny Doh has made a mission of how Art Saves and I have experienced this over and over in my own life. This past weekend reaffirmed my thinking. I spent a lot of time in the studio, playing with plaster techniques I learned in Judy and Stephanie's class. I'm getting ready for Encausticamp, so I used my 'plaster preps' as the underlayer for encaustic pieces. Here are some of the pieces:

Plaster of Paris (grid) with tar and encaustic

Plaster of Paris (see the grayish parts), tar and encaustic

Plaster of Paris, tar, encaustic and collage

I want to give my profound thanks to all of you who commented or sent me personal emails. I can't tell you how much this meant to me. It was really hard for me to show the vulnerable side of myself in such a public way and I am very grateful for the love and support.

No wine for whiners

My blog is not a whining platform. Ok, maybe just a little bit, I've had a poopy day week, so just indulge me for a moment or two if you don't mind.
I know I project this happy go-lucky front, but sometimes not so much; it really is just a front. Inside I am a bundle of insecurities and I take everything way too personally. 
Like when I get a nasty-gram email from an anonymous person. Or another anonymous person keys my car while it is parked at the Mall. Or when yet another anonymous person gives my book an insanely cruddy review because I use the word, "Yum."
Perhaps I am too thin skinned, I know I am, always hoping that everyone likes me. Which many people do and of course that makes it even harder when someone lashes out. Particularly when they hide behind the cloak of anonymity! Geez, that is kind of a cheap shot, at least I think so.

"The Moon's Burden redux"- Acrylic, Wood Icing, graphite, ink

So I'm sad today. Sad for people who don't have the courage to stand behind their words or actions. Sad for the reality from which they come. And sad because I can't help or take action or fix something like I am want to do.

Plaster me with Diamonds

I had the most marvelous weekend. Got to make some art, hang out with my sweetie, see the grand kids, catch up with art friends, wallow around the house - geez, as far as I'm concerned it doesn't get much better than this.
I am taking Judy Wise & Stephanie Lee's Plaster class. It is wonderful and I am loving it. You all know how much I adore Wood Icing, well, I wanted to take this class to basically force myself to experiment with all the other plaster and plaster type products on the market. I guess I feel like I will be a better representative for Wood Icing if I completely understand how all the products work. And, after just one week of class, I have learned so much. If you aren't in the class, grab their book for sure.
Plaster Studio: Mixed-Media Techniques for Painting, Casting and Carving
It is chock full of interesting projects and techniques.
Ok, so here's my first attempt at using the Joint Compound.

12" x 6" Mixed media

And, so far I have learned that I like Plaster of Paris a lot.  It dries down nice and hard and the substrate feels familiar to me. But it is kind of a pain to have to mix it up since I am basically pretty lazy.Joint Compound.....mmm, I'm not as hip on it. I can't get it to do what I want as it doesn't want to hold the level of texture and when I rub it too hard, the texture sort of rubs off, it is hard to explain. I am glad I tried it though.
Overall, my infatuation with Wood Icing continues for several reasons - it holds a nice precise line when you carve into it and use stencils. It is super sturdy and doesn't crack off the substrate. Plus the drying time (of the Wood Icing) simply can't be beat. Geez Louise does it take a long time for some of these others to dry. I tend to want to use texture through my entire process, like I'll be painting and want to stencil some more texture on top, or palette texture over part of the piece and then write into it.....Wood Icing allows me to do that, but I can't see myself mixing up Plaster of Paris or using the Joint Compound due to drying issues.
All this being said, I still adore (!!!) the class with the genius Judy and Stephanie duo and am learning great things from them. They are top notch teachers.
I have some exciting news but it is going to have to wait as I'm still firming up details. Suffice to say it.is.big.

A Perfect Pear and/or Pair

Katherine Engen and me

Some images from the class - Paste Painted Paper, Batik, some arty pics that I took

You all know how much I love Valley Ridge, geez, I talk about it enough, huh? Well, I finagled another trip up there, tee, hee. This time the class was Paste Painted Paper (which I taught) and Batik Paper (which Katherine taught). It was a blast. The students loved the Paste Paper and enjoyed my unusual techniques........that is, until the genius Katherine pulled out dyes for Batik Paper......and we smelled wax.....and we played in wax......and........well, let's just say I am in love with a new technique. I have been bitten hard by this one. Wowza!!! It was too good for words, and sadly, my paste painted papers look very mundane in comparison.
You will see more Batik papers from me as Katherine wants me to take this class from her and "run with it." Such generosity and oh how I can.not.wait. Have already ordered supplies as I am anxious to make this my own, with a strong influence from my dear friend Katherine. Of course.
And see that pic of horses......we were thrilled beyond belief when Katherine's neighbor Verne offered us a ride with his majestic Percherons.
And what, pray tell is that other item? Turkey feet. Yeah, who knew they were so beautiful. My eyes were opened to all sorts of beauty this past weekend and I am so grateful to Katherine for the opportunity.....to my students for their support and friendship.....and to life....I have to pinch myself I feel so blissed.

Stencil Madness

Designed by Judy Wise

Designed by Judy Wise

Designed by Pam Carriker

Available in both the 9x12 and 6x5 sizes. Click HERE to see them on Stencil Girl. I am heading off to Valley Ridge for 3 days of Paste Paper and Batik Wax paper, woo hoo!!! Katherine and I are doing a collaborative painting frenzy and I can.not.wait. I sincerely hope it is cooler in Wisconsin and I also hope there are no Cicadas.
No worries though, John will be here to fulfill all your Stencil Girl orders cause I like to keep him busy, ha, ha.

Nine

That is the number of new stencils we will release very soon - in both the 9x12 and 5x6 sizes. John has photographed them and I am working on getting them up on the site. Actually, better said, I am building a totally new site. So, here are my teaser photos.......amazing stencils by Judy Wise and Pam Carriker. I can hardly wait to share them with you guys. They are sooooo sweet!

A little imaginary vacation

You might recall here when I drove to Licking, MO to teach a collage class organized by Lanie Frick. Well, I told Lanie about my involvement with the Wood Icing Studio & Gallery and how I teach and exhibit there.  She was immediately interested and we've been trying to set up a time for her to come over and see the space.
And yesterday was it! She came for lunch cause of course everything I do has to involve food I am a little piggy like that. We met up with Bud. Lanie and Bud are friends from a long time ago, horse friends. It was really fun for me to hear them share stories - not being a 'horse person', it is incredibly exotic to me. I especially enjoy hearing about the horse's personalities; they are apparently just like people with very strong traits. It really makes me wish I had another childhood to live, so I could grow up as a 'horse girl' riding bareback through the woods, oh how I can dream.......
Anyhoo, I digress. As usual.

Once at Wood Icing, Lanie showed her work to Rose and was invited to join the Gallery. Yippee!!! Since we have an Opening coming up on 6/18, getting her work framed was of the utmost importance, so we headed straight to Michael's, coupon in hand, to select frames for her pieces. Pieces that are so friggin' amazing......like this......

I adored hearing Lanie's stories and I wanted to listen all day long, I think I must have lived in the country in a previous life, that is how drawn I am to hearing about every.little.thing......from raising baby goats to getting thrown from a horse to a bank drive thru where the teller not only knows your name, but knows your dog and sends a treat back with the deposit slip. Another world that is oh-so-lovely and oh-so-different from the suburban world where I live. Ahh....
We popped over to Chesterfield Arts to see a show that my friend Jeff had curated (nice job, dude!) and I signed up to volunteer for Make Your Mark which happens this coming Saturday and is the singular coolest community arts project that I know of. We saw the 'paint by number' on the levee wall, perused the sketch and I am getting very excited indeed. Hope that my grandsons and anyone else in our area will come on out to paint with us on Saturday.
Geez, Louise, sorry I've been such a blabber mouth today, before I leave, here is a link to Lanie's BLOG.
I wanna get her writing more.  Cause I, for one, really like her stories.
And oh.......forgot to mention.....I have started a new site - a place to sell my art since I'm not doing the Art Fairs this year. If you are interested, you can check it out HERE. I will post pieces every now and then. I'm trying to keep the prices reasonable since I don't have to incur the booth fee, etc. And each one is obviously an original, so when it's gone it's gone.