Sunday musings

the noise of public discourse has become loud and destructive...
the sound of silence can speak volumes...

Sunday musings

Yesterday I was able to spend most of the day working in my studio...I was so happy...a place to call my own, where I could work in peace and be surrounded with the supplies/tools/objects that inspire me.  
Virginia Woolf had it right...a woman needs a room of one's own...

In another life of mine...many years ago...this would not have happened...I wouldn't have a room of my own...I put my key in someone else's pocket...luckily that was not for long...

I hope you have your key and hold on to it tight... 

Remembering Mom

As the calendar page turns to May, one cannot help but be reminded of Mother's Day...
          and to think about Mom...

My mom passed away 8 years ago but still holds a strong influence in my life...
she taught me a love of sewing and a desire to create...
           to make do with what one had at hand and to take the initiative to figure out problems...
           to try new things and not give up when the going got tough...


In my bout of purging earlier in the year, I unearthed a box of clippings, photos and mementos...I came across a photo of my mom and dad in the early years of their marriage...and decided to play around with it...
and I'm thinking about having it printed up so I can hang it in my studio...SocialPrintStudio has some great metal prints...perfect for my metal mania...

I like this photo mostly for the expression and attitude of my mom...young, fresh, full of anticipation. My parents settled in a small Wisconsin town and that's where I spent my childhood...and throughout the years, my mom continued to have a healthy dose of anticipation for what was up ahead...whether it was raising 6 kids in a small house, moving across the country to Oregon when my dad lost his job, rebuilding her life in a new town after my dad died and finally coming to live with me in her final years.  She wasn't one content to sit by and let things be...

Unfortunately, I don't have many photos of her...I guess we were always so busy that one didn't think about stopping a minute, reflecting on the moment, and taking a photograph to capture the day...

So to honor her memory, I'll take the time this weekend to stop and reflect...shoot a few photos...
and be filled with anticipation of all that still lies ahead...

Sunday musings

the first light of morning...the quiet hush of the house...the warmth of my coffee cup...
this is the simplicity of stillness...

Sunday musings

I seem to have a pattern here...been posting a creative art photo on Sunday for the last couple of weeks...
I guess I should make this a regular feature...so here is today's posting...

Cold, rain and gray today...but I am hopeful that spring will come...

Spring is in the air!

the buds are pushing through the soil...the birds sing happily...the sun lingers a little longer...its almost spring...

A time to clean out the cobwebs and freshen up a bit...and the perfect chance to get a little inspiration at the Spring Market vintage show this coming Saturday...

I'll be a vendor at this event...with a curated selection of vintage sewing paraphernalia and some lovely ironstone dishes...along with original art and a new series of greeting cards...I hope you'll stop by and see me...

a thought for today...

Spool Valentines Art Party

take a vintage wooden thread spool...

        



















add a strip of patterned paper...a button or two...or maybe a bit of ribbon or twine...
              write your own secret message, rolled around the spool...

                     and you have a spool valentine.

Join me at this February Art Party where I'll show you how to make these tiny treasures...I'll supply everything from the old spools to a plethora of paper, buttons and ribbons...along with a dose of creative camaraderie and light refreshments...You don't have to bring anything but enthusiasm...

Registration is limited; the workshop will take place at my home in Everett.  Once you have paid your registration, I'll send out a confirmation email with all the details.

Spool Valentines
Saturday, February 6, 2016
1 - 4 pm
Everett, WA

$45 registration fee

Any questions? - feel free to email me at amy_duncan@yahoo.com
Don't delay...registration is limited...hope to see you in February!

'tis the season!

Wishing all a wonderful holiday season...
wherever you are and whatever you celebrate - cheers!

Portland...here we come!

In less than one month, I'll be in Portland...hosting ArtPartyPortland and having an inspiring wild time with 14 other creatives...

And though this event is sold out, there's still an opportunity to get in on a part of the fun...












As part of ArtPartyPortland, we are spending Friday at Junk Bonanza...one of the country's premier vintage/antique/artisan shows is coming to Portland for its inaugural launch in the Pacific Northwest.

I can't wait...as you likely know, I love Junk...in all its forms...and it doesn't even have to be something I buy (though I'm sure there will be some money exchanged!) but the eye-candy...the inspiring vignettes...the overflow of creative ideas...the plethora of photo opps...I'm sure I will be on junk overload!

But wait...you could join us at the show...Junk Bonanza is sponsoring two free General Admission tickets that I'm giving away here on the blog...good for any day of the show (October 9-11)   And if you decide to visit the show on Friday morning, October 9 (when I will be there with my Art Party group), I'll be happy to meet up with you...and give you a big junker's hug...and an autographed copy of the Oct/Nov issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine that features my junk-inspired home.

OK - ready...here's the deal...

1. Visit Junk Bonanza's Facebook page and like it.

2. Leave me a comment letting me know that you want in on the drawing - remember to either have your email active on your blogger profile or leave your email in your comment so I have a way to contact you if you are the winner. 

3. Want to enter more than once?  Follow both Junk Bonanza and me, four corners design on Instagram...let me know on an IG post that you're a new follower...

4. The winner will be announced here on the blog on September 16...so you have until midnight on September 15 to get in on this junking fun.

Its going to be a grand adventure...I hope to see you at the show!

September 16 follow-up...
Congrats Mindy!  You are the winner of the two Junk Bonanza tickets - Enjoy!

Behind the scenes

The end of summer is turning into quite the exciting time...so much happening...so much on the horizon...

First and foremost - I am proud to have our home featured in the October/November issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine...

Last October, Jickie Torres, editor and Bret Gum, photographer spent a long and crazy day here...photographing every nook and cranny...here's a few shots to show you what goes on behind the camera...
















A quick run to the local grocery store provided pumpkins for a seasonal touch...
I was so glad that it was a glorious sunny day...it made the house shine...

Lots going on in the background while getting the perfect shot...

Even Calvin had to get in on all the activity...

stealing Jickie's heart...

At the end of day, all were tired and exhausted...and it was hard to have to wait so long to see how it all turned out...

But I'm pleased as can be with it...and I invite you to pick up a copy at your local newsstand or grocery store...I share lots of ideas for incorporating vintage treasures into your home...I think you'll enjoy it...

How do I begin...

I was recently asked by a friend about how I begin a collage...do I have an idea and then go looking for the materials to pull it together...or do I start with a piece of ephemera that inspires me and go from there...

I thought for a minute...it really had me stop for a moment and consider...
"How do I begin?"

More often than not, its a piece of paper, a scrap of material, a torn page, a faded photograph that sets my mind wheeling...thus begins the process...

My most recent collage series started with a trio of vintage seed packets...ones that I picked up many years ago...the vivid colored vegetables along with their European monikers motivated me to action...I started collecting materials...















I painted three wooden boards coordinating pastel colors...and glued down the first layer of papers...since I wanted these three collages to relate to one another, I used similar (though not identical) papers with each collage...

The names of each of the vegetables included reference to three European cities so that guided my choices...London, Paris and Florence...old atlas maps, historical timelines and garden/botanical pages were all gleaned for inclusion...I wanted to include a piece of silverware on each collage for the crowning touch...auditioning forks for the Florence collage was a challenge...which one would fit the best...

Eventually all fell into place...the trio now complete...

You can see this trio for yourself...I'll be one of the artists participating in the Fresh Paint art show this coming weekend, August 15-16 at the Everett Marina...
please, stop by, say hi and chat with me a bit...I'd love to see you...

the slightest provocation

it doesn't take much...as I was rummaging through a stack of papers and ephemera looking for pieces to include in a giant collage I am working on, I spied it...an old library check-out card...

my mind started spinning...putting the card aside, I kept it out of the pile so I could return to it...

and spin the tale that spoke to me...

Having a few days off due to the holiday here in the US has given me hours of time in the workshop studio...which in the middle of winter is too cold to work in, but during the heat wave we are having, it is pure heaven...

Creating new pieces for my next summer show, Fresh Paint, at the Everett Marina, August 15 & 16...

And I must apologize for my tardiness in responding to comments...once again, there's a glitch with Blogger which is sending all my comments to some nether world that I don't have access to...I'm trying to tinker with it, but please bear with me...I do appreciate that you not only stop to read my blog, but that you take the time to comment...thank you!

Slipping away

it seemed like it was just yesterday...it was April...spring buds were blooming, the days were getting longer, 
the temperatures warming...

And now it is June...the time slipped by so fast...how did that happen...

I knew that I was going to change the pace of my blogging posts...but all of a sudden I notice that almost a month has gone by since the last one...

It hasn't been for lack of thought...but somehow it always got pushed to the back...

Maybe it was my subconscious telling me to take a break...from blogging that is...there's been plenty of activity on the creative front...new collage work, upcoming summer art festivals, photography fun...
And of course, preparation for Art Party Portland (a few spots remain...get all the details here...)

And now Summer is upon us...my garden is flush with green...the sunsets extend well past the dinner hour...
the temperatures are maybe a tad too warm...

Though I am off to visit my sister for a couple of days, when I get back, I'll fill you in on my creative work...
until then, enjoy a few of those lingering evening rays yourself...

Just one thing

A recent lesson in bestill52, my online creative class with kim klassen, was to take one thing and see how many different ways you could photograph it.  At first, nothing came to mind to really motivate me to do a series...

but this past weekend...as I was cleaning up the garden bouquet that was now withered and dying, this one tulip caught my eye...and persuaded me to play...

Different settings, changing light, varied filters and editing...it was a good exercise in seeing how a mood or a feeling could change with the slightest adjustments...

and while we're talking about one more thing...
Early Bird registration for Art Party Portland ends May 1
for details, information and registration, click here

joining the group over at kim klassen's for texture tuesday...
used kk textures enlightened and monday in my editing work of the tulips...

Following the thread...

I love old things...and the stories that they tell...

Some people see a pile of useless junk...I see a former life, a past event, a fleeting thought, a momentary wish...

Sometimes I let my imagination run ahead...and spin a tale...pulling the thread of the story...seeing where it may lead...

Last week I participated in the 7 vignettes challenge on Instagram.  Sponsored by Interiors Addict, there's a list of 7 prompts for you to follow and post your photographic inspiration.  I had such a grand time chasing down my story that I thought I would share with you here...

Day One - Blush
I can't say exactly what prompted me to pull out these things...most likely it was the large spool of linen thread in a dusty pink color sitting on a shelf that caught my eye...and then the photo on my inspiration board behind my computer screen...it was the start of the tale...

"blush...the color that rises in a young girl's cheeks when an admirer notices her in all her beauty..."

Day 2 - Bloom
"the fresh lilac blooms brightened her outlook that spring had arrived on this first day of April"

Day 3 - Light
"and so she had a thought...an inkling of an idea...perhaps this young man who made her blush...and brought her such lovely blooms...was the one...her face lit up with anticipation..."

Day 4 - Soft
"she felt like she could soar...her heart unfettered...but if she fell, she knew she would have a soft place to land...is this what one calls love..."

Day 5 - Easter
"rebirth...a new awakening...a fresh start...could this be the direction she sought...the path to follow...her heart guides the way...

Day 6 - Weave
"she remembered him hanging around her father's auto shop...never saying much but always tinkering...papa passed away while she was away at nursing school and now he had taken over the shop...their lives had been intertwined at the edges for years...perhaps it was time to strengthen the weave..."

Day 7 - Gold
"tied up with hopes for the future, a home filled with love and a promise of time eternal, the circle of gold on her ring finger signifies, not a closed chapter, but a new beginning..."

Pulling the thread of imagination, you never know what you might find...
joining with others over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...

and I invite you to follow me on Instagram, you'll find me as four corners design...
let me know if you're on IG, I'll follow back