Time to rest

I've been feeling a little fried lately...just too much jammed into a day...so in honor of Labor Day, I'm taking the weekend off...the Southern Man and I are having a little staycation...the weather will actually be quite nice here...
I need to soak up a bit more of summer...I'm not ready to give in to fall quite yet...

I hope you take some time for yourself this weekend...its good to pause and relax every once in a while...

Texture Tuesday

Adding texture...and other enhancements to photographs...has been one of the benefits of participating in Beyond Layers, my online creativity class.  I've been feeling pretty comfortable with the basics of Photoshop which is lightyears ahead of where I was just 8 months ago...and feel confident enough to participate in Texture Tuesday over at Kim Klassen's blog.  Today's theme is free and easy...so just about anything goes...here's my creative entry...

I edited my photo with Kim's texture stampright2 at multiply 37% opacity; the paris postmark is from FrenchKiss Collections...did you know that if you sign up for Kim's Texture Tuesday email, you get free textures sent right to your inbox?  and likewise, FrenchKiss Collections has freebies you can sign up for as well...the paris postmark was one of five freebies I downloaded...I thought it was the perfect finishing touch...

So join me as I head over to Texture Tuesday to discover what other creatives are posting...always impressive to see all the talent out there...

Steal like an Artist

I've just finished reading the most amazing book...Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon...(thanks a million Sandy from rhubarb reign for the recommendation!)








It was the perfect kick in the seat of the pants/knock on the side of the head...as a creative type, you need to just do what you do, taking in what fits, subtracting what doesn't, and not getting hung up on approval/acceptance/understanding...

it all fits in quite nicely with my word for the year (which I haven't neglected just because its August!) which is

Just do it...and in the process, you will discover what is important in your work and what about it that speaks to you...as well as realizing there is nothing new or original in creative circles...its the same ideas over and over...all with your unique spin on it...so get over yourself and go make some art!













and talking about making art...Cindy over at Fat Cow Studio is sponsoring a great giveaway (which ends tonight!)...she makes these fantastic necklaces out of vintage bits and bobs...very arty/creative/free spirit feeling...hop on over to her blog for all the details...because she is the epitome of steps #6, #7 and #8 listed above!

After the rush

It was a busy, hectic weekend for Fresh Paint, the art festival here in Everett where I was a participating artist.  Set-up on Friday was hot...which is not news in the rest of the country but when we get a day or two over 80 degrees here, everything  is fried!

So it was welcome relief when Saturday morning  dawned with typical marine weather...and I enjoyed the calmness of the marina before the start of the show...

A special aspect of this show is that the artists are to be "in action"...demonstrating some aspect of their art.  Since I deal with paper and recycling/upcycling is an important part of my creations, I decided to make mini art journals, assembling them on the spot and giving them away to anyone who stopped by my booth.

I pre-cut a huge stack of leftover paper scraps - both unprinted sheets as well as printed book pages/maps/receipts/etc.  For the journal cover I used cardstock that was leftover from my previous
greeting card line...I had a large variety of colors and the texture of the paper was fantastic...

I counted out 8 assorted sheets, stacked them inside of the card stock cover, stapled twice on the fold and then slapped a white label on the logo that had been printed on the old cardstock.  Sometimes I added an embellishment of a colored sticker or a few crayon colorings...







People seemed to like them...and were so surprised they were free!  I didn't keep track but I would guess I made over 200 journals during the weekend...and by Sunday afternoon, I was out of paper so I take that as a measure of success...

The show...well, a mild success... art is a discretionary purchase and with the economy still on the mend, its a tough market...good news is that the perfect wheel collage went to an enthusiastic art lover...

and I enjoyed talking with all who came by my booth...and catching up with artist friends from around the area...





















but I still need to unpack...and return the dining room table to its original use (dining rather than art work surface!) before I can take a needed rest...where is that studio boy when I need him...!

It's time...

Setting up today for the Fresh Paint show this weekend...I'll be in Booth #13  (how lucky is that!) 
and my artists friends will be there too...
Shelly Holm - From the Alley to the Gallery - Booth #75
Jody Carlson Cain - Latitude Studio - Booth #44
Tammi Sloan - My Brown Wren - Booth #12

plus 72 other great artists...I'll be looking for you...

Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 5pm each day...at the Everett Marina...

Here and now

My last art piece is ready for Fresh Paint..what started as an old typeset drawer...

has become one of the largest multi-media collages I have ever tackled...

I removed some of the wooden dividers so there would be a greater variety of size...which gave me 77 compartments...I left some compartments empty...because all art needs negative space...right?!

The piece took me about a month...a little bit here, a little bit there...it evolved as I worked on it...
and the theme of a passage of time emerged...

the past...

the present...

and the future...

I enjoyed tinkering with it...figuring what worked where...and how to attach/secure everything soundly...
it really is imbued with...

It will be the pearl of my booth at Fresh Paint...I hope you'll stop by to see it...

Rule of Four

Though I was supposed to be getting ready for my art show...and painting the north side of the house...I did manage to slip away early Saturday morning for an estate sale...but not just any sale...a sale run by the Assistance League of Everett...my favorite sales in town.  These events are run by a group of volunteers and the proceeds go toward helping needy school children.  I know from experience that there will plenty to look through and prices will be reasonable...and since this was the last day, prices would be reduced 50%...the dew had to dry anyway before we started painting...I will just be an hour, dear...


I have a method that I use when I go to sales that helps me to hone in on the treasures.  First...if there is a garage or basement, I go there immediately...its the best place to find rusty metal or other odds & ends that no one wants.  Second on my list is the office/sewing room - another good place to find leftovers - whether its old paper, worn scissors, wooden rulers or metal bobbins.  Third, I use my Rule of Four...to be considered worthy, it has to meet at least one of my Rule of Four - color, texture, pattern or tone...

My finds from this sale...

Color
I have certain colors that I love and that show up time and again in my work...teal is one of them...finding something teal is an automatic winner.  This assembly covers the rainbow...and fits in with an idea I'm tinkering with that uses a quantity of wood spools for a collage.  Goldenrod yellow is another favorite color of mine...and the measuring tape with black numbers is perfect...

Texture
I have always been drawn to texture...rough/smooth/soft/rugged...the texture of old manila paper is exquisite...and the natural wood of the paintbrushes and the jute fiber all complement one another.

Pattern
Whether its a symmetry of form or a function of a line, I like things with pattern...and these three comply nicely with that definition...

Tone
There's a certain vibe that I'm looking for...call it vintage, call it classic, call it ageless...can't fully describe it, but I know it when I see it.  Old books with their standard fonts ooze it; iconic symbols such as these Girl Scout membership stars are also winners...as well as wooden rulers...

Home in little over an hour and spent less than $10...and still had plenty of time to paint the north side of the house...

What do you look for when you're junking?  I'd love to know!

the road less traveled...

Finally...the reveal of the completed art collage that prompted the great quest for the perfect wheel...

I had the idea for this collage and constructed the box before I found all three wheels...in hindsight, should have found wheels first and then built box to accommodate...lesson learned...

I also learned a bit about wheels...smaller open spoke wheels are no longer in vogue it seems...too easily broken...thus explains my ability to find all sorts of closed wheels...but I think my trio is nice mix, all with the right amount of requisite rust...

And since I have been including quotes on the side of my collages as of late, it only seemed fitting that this one have a quote as well...

Each wheel gives its own character to the piece...

The background is a 1938 National Geographic map...the original...no copies here...I love the muted colors and the type fonts...

This collage will be for sale at the upcoming Fresh Paint Art Show in Everett.  It will be hard to let this one go...but I'm sure that someone is going to love that perfect wheel as much as I do...

Music in the streets

During the month of August, music can be heard in the streets of my town...the City of Everett sponsors 10 pianos that sit outside, waiting for anyone passing by to tickle the ivories.  Each of the pianos are decorated by local artists with imaginative themes and motifs...















My artist friend, Jody Carlson Cain, is one of the featured artists this year...her piano, The Scenic Route, resides outside of the Everett Public Library during this musical month.

Its a lively collage of old maps, decorative stencils, touches of metallic finish and handwritten words...

 The namesake of the piano, this quote, is written across the top...

If you're in the area, I urge you to stop by and view this masterpiece in person...and you can also see Jody's work at the upcoming Fresh Paint Art Festival...where she, me and 73 other artists will be showing their artistic creations August 18-19 at the Everett Marina...

There's a full spectrum of art on display this summer...come and check it out!

The height of the season

Its August...and junking season is in full swing...
Over the weekend, there were sales everywhere - garage/estate/yard/ - whatever you call it, its happening now.  In our community, it was the weekend for the Mother of All Garages Sales (that's the name of their event - with sponsors and a printed map...it was organized!)...100 homes participating in North Everett...and though we didn't hit all 100 by any means, we spent three glorious hours on Saturday morning, perusing the goods, chatting with neighbors, patronizing several lemonade stands, strolling the streets and uncovering a few fabulous finds...

I picked up an English ironstone plate for free...love the old grazing on it.
The mustard jar was a quarter...my mom had one just like it.
And a stellar collection of these vintage texts...Little Blue Books...

It was at the Historic Everett's sale that I found these vintage books...it was at the start of our day so I just didn't know if I wanted to commit to them yet...I only brought $15 with me (my attempt to control my junking urges!)  Three hours later when we were walking back to the car, I stopped in once again...they were still there...and I knew they had to come home with me...all 45 of them...for a total of $10.

I've been junking for quite a while...but have never seen these slender volumes before...and don't know why they are called Little Blue Books...since you can see, there are other colors besides blue...but with a little research, I did find out this...

from Wikipedia
"Little Blue Books are a series of small staple-bound books published by the Haldeman-Julius Publishing Company of Girard, Kansas (1919–1978).
Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, an atheist-Jew, socialist, and newspaper publisher, and his wife, Marcet, set out to publish small low price paperback pocketbooks that were intended to sweep the ranks of the working class as well as the "educated" class. Their goal was to get works of literature, a wide range of ideas, common sense knowledge and various points of view out to as large an audience as possible. These books, at approximately 3½ by 5 inches easily fit into a working man's back pocket or shirt pocket.

The works covered were frequently classics of Western literature: Goethe and Shakespeare were well represented, as were the works of the Ancient Greeks, and more modern writers like Voltaire, Emile Zola, H. G. Wells. Some of the topics the Little Blue Books covered were on the cutting edge of societal norms. Alongside books on making candy (#518 - "How to Make All Kinds of Candy" by Helene Paquin) and classic literature (#246 - Hamlet by William Shakespeare) were ones exploring homosexuality (#692 - "Homo-Sexual Life" by William J Fielding) and agnostic viewpoints (#1500 - "Why I Am an Agnostic: Including Expressions of Faith from a Protestant a Catholic and a Jew" by Clarence Darrow). Shorter works from many popular authors such as Jack London and Henry David Thoreau were published, as were a number of political tracts written by Robert Ingersoll or Haldeman-Julius himself.

Following World War II, the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover viewed the Little Blue Books' inclusion of such subjects as socialism, atheism, and frank treatment of sexuality as a threat and put Haldeman-Julius on their enemies list. This caused a rapid decline in the number of bookstores carrying the Little Blue Books, and they slowly sank into obscurity by the 1950s, although still well remembered by older people who had read them in the 1920s and 1930s.  The works continued to be reprinted after Haldeman-Julius' drowning in 1951 and were sold by mail order by his son until the Girard printing plant and warehouse was destroyed by fire in 1978."

Looking through my stack, I have Macbeth and King Lear, Chemistry for Beginners and Latin Self Taught...
but these were the best of the bunch...

and my favorites...

I'm already thinking of how I can incorporate them into a collage but still have the capability to read the pages...
the information is priceless!

I'm adding the stack of 45 volumes to the pile of books on my nightstand...this should keep me occupied (and informed!) for quite a while...

Linking up to Texture Tuesdays at Kim Klassen's Cafe...the images are all so beautiful...

Collaboration

With a nod to Mary Randolph Carter...
My sister took the photo from inside her garden shed...and I provided the processing and texture...

My sister's newest find of the rusted yellow garden cultivator inspired her composition...

seems to be the height of junking season this weekend...I wonder what treasures I will find...

A collection of the heart

I've been finishing up several collage art pieces in prep for the Fresh Paint Festival of Artists show in mid-August.  The kernel of inspiration for this creation was germinated with the maps I received from Dave of Clearer Reflections...along with additional found objects that I had collected for a time...all coming together to tell this story...

I started with the title, A collection of the heart, and worked backwards (one usually titles a piece last, after it is completed).  I felt that this title guided my direction and gave reference to the story I wanted to tell...

The old perfume bottle and the broken string of pearls were rescued from the detritus of an estate sale...the needlepoint home has been hanging on my studio bulletin board for 8 years, just waiting for its time...the locket flips open to reveal an silent sigh, my own editorial input...

A Sucrets box from my outside rusting area is easily transformed into "secrets", with a key kept safely inside...foreign stamps and vintage pen nibs convey thoughts written...but never sent...or perhaps they were set free...on a wing of a bird...

A collection of the heart...

see it firsthand at the Fresh Paint Art Show, August 18 & 19...for show details, click here...