It's been too long since I've posted or created much. It's time to change that.

 

Just Right - 9"x12" mixed media on paper

I think I can see the light...

Spring is trying so hard to make an appearance in the cold white north but has been set back continually by random snow storms and harsh cold winds. It is quite similar to me and my creativity. After the winter doldrums I can feel a stirring. The tulip bud of creativity is send up sturdy pointed leaves but the beauty is still hiding in the safety of the dirt.

I managed to finish binding a book of pages I created as part of a workshop led by LK Ludwig. It's not the exact same class as the one that I linked it looks like many of the same techniques are covered. I took this class in December of 2009. Yes, it took me over a year and some months to finally use the papers I created in making the book. I love the way it looks and cannot wait to start using it for journaling.

Inside pages

Cover

I am working on making more. I have gotten such great feedback so far.

I want to add a personal thank you to Randi. You have been such an inspiration and my personal cheerleader! I could not have done any of this without your push. You are amazing and I cannot wait to see what you come up with next!

So far gone...

I'm sorry to have been away so long. Live has been so busy of late and my art has taken the hardest hit. I am coaching for the Twin Cities Junior Roller Derby and my girls both skate in that. Add in school work, home work, basketball and daily life, I have gotten lost in the shuffle.

My friend Randi shared this with me today and I wanted to pass it along:

"Being a mother and an artist is a partnership that can fuel each other, but it takes determination. Creating art is a release, but it is not for the faint of heart. Not only does it require determination, but also dedication and belief in self. I think that is why art saves. It is a way to reach into yourself and declare with paint or pencil that what you have to say or feel matters enough to be put out into the world. And it does."  -  Bridget Guerzon Mills

The results are in...

"I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to keep me down" - Chumbawumba 'Tubthumping'

 As you might guess by the lyrics above, my painting was not accepted into the MNSF Fine Arts Show. I will admit I am a little disappointed but where one door closes a window opens. My painting will be on display at Salon 300: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show at the Hopkins Center for the Arts! I won't be able to make it to the opening reception but you can bet that I will make it out there to see it, I hope you will too.

I'm going to spend a good amount of time in the studio today, experimenting, working on lessons from several workshops I'm taking and rocking out. The cool cloudy weather makes my creative juices flow. 

What are some of your favorite workshops you've taken, online or in person?

I did it!

Untitled - MN State Fair 2010
18" x 24" on Gesso Board

I've been talking about doing it for years. I've actually entered a painting into the MN State Fair Fine Arts competition. My husband enters it every year (in the Photography catagory) and it's beyond competitive. If I remember correctly, he's only made it in once in as long as I can remember and he is an AMAZING photographer.

My nerves are riding high and will be until August 11th when I find out if I've been accepted. Keep your fingers crossed for me! It would be a huge boost to the ego to make the cut on my first try.

Long Lost Blogger

Hello? Anyone out there?

I'm sorry for being gone so long! I've been working on larger paintings and I am amazed at how different it is working on a different scale and medium!! I have my practice painting done and have started working the piece I hope to enter into the State Fair Fine Arts competition. I'm stressing myself out working under a deadline. I have to finish it and have it framed in the new 2-3 weeks so I can submit it the first weekend of August! The pressure is killing me!

Once the state fair project is complete, I'm going to dive into The Sketchbook Project and I'm pretty psyched about it. I have a friend that I've just reconnected with after 13 years who is doing it along with me and I can't wait to have some art dates with her.

Thanks for your patience and please bear with me! I'll keep you posted when I can!

Looking through the eyes of a child

This past Wednesday I spend the day with my oldest daughter, Celia. I introduced her to the gastronomical wonder that is a Juicy Lucy on a lunch date to the Blue Door Pub. She loved it but it didn't love her back, poor kid.

After lunch we went to the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. It was inspiring to see and hear Celia's reactions to the pieces on display. There was one piece in particular, a hanging sculpture constructed of beads and wire, that caught her eye (I am sorry I didn't get the name of the artist/piece). It was hanging at eye level and was delicate and sparsely sprinkled with color, nice to look at. Celia got down on her hands and knees and looked up at the bottom of it and insisted I do the same. I shook my head and told her to get off the floor but she wouldn't move until I got down there with her. Looking up through the bottom of the piece we discovered an explosion of color as it was a solid mass of glass seed beads! It would have never occurred to me to do that without her prompting and I am so happy I listened and gave in to her quirky request.

When was the last time you looked at the world around you through the eyes of a child?