Fly Beyond the Rainbow

Sometimes I just need a little nudge.

After this week's lessons with Katie Kendrick,

I decided to play with a discarded project.

I had collaged some papers to this 6 x 12 piece of wood.

Lost interest, and stuffed it in my wood pile.

I decided to experiment by adding some modeling paste.

Next, I wiped on a couple coats of soft pastels....

and sketched a little angel.

I wish I had taken a photo of the sketch.

She looked totally different, and

I loved the "mood" of her face.

So this morning, I decided to be brave,

and paint a face on the sketch.

One thing lead to another,

and this is my finished project.

I love Katie Kendrick.

She is amazing, and leaves me feeling

stimulated to create, play and explore.

This is one of the best workshops

I have ever taken.

Today I would like to send out personal wishes

to the universe to surround

to my dear friend who's family is dealing with

the loss of a loved one that lost her battle to cancer.

My heart aches for all of you.

On a happy note,

tomorrow I will be seeing my other dear friends,

and we will be celebrating their daugher's wedding day.

Life is so bittersweet.

Layered Impressions

I am so excited to be taking this class.

I truly hesitated, dragged my feet, and swore I was

not going to sign up for another class.

You know, take some time to create,

and get OFF the computer....

I'm truly a "workshop-a-holic".

I'm drawn to them like a magnet.

Katie Kendrick is amazing.

She is so laid back, down to earth,

and incredibly generous with her knowledge.

Not to mention her truly unique style.

It never occurred to me to "warm up"

by sketching with my non-dominant hand.

After several attempts,

I actually really liked the results.

When I'm feeling brave and ready,

I'll post some pics.

It's only a couple days into her class;

I feel like my battery got charged,

from the energy she exudes.

She is simply a breath of fresh air.

With this workshop,

I want to sit down and play right away.

In my opinion,

Katie is worth every penny!

Listen to her podcast with Rice Freeman-Zachery here.

View Katie's Collage Background tutorial

Blame it on the Mailman

(this is a scanned image)

I created this mixed media collage

on a 9 x 12 wood panel.

(photo image)

I listed it in my Etsy shoppe,

and was surprised to find that it had

been purchased from a friend I haven't

seen in over 30 years.

Sadly, the package never made it to her.

Somehow the package was lost in transit,

(Blame it on the Mailman)

I was really bummed about it.

So I experimented with printing the image

on Matte Photo paper....and tinkered with

a couple ideas to sort of re-create something different.

I modpodged it to a couple layers of canvas,

and stitched in black around the edges.

I collaged on some tissue flowers,

added stabilo pencil, shaded with charcoal,

doodled a bit in black ink,

and kicked it up a notch with

Swarovski crystals and beads.

It sparkles now.

The lighting wasn't very good (farthest right),

but I almost think I like the newer version better.

I guess in a good way,

I can blame on the Mailman.

I will mail it to her tomorrow as a surprise gift.

This is an example of how I roll with it.

(you know; when life gives you lemons....)

I still wonder where the original ended up?

It has my business card info on the reverse,

with this website link....so maybe one day....,

I'll learn the truth.

Just curious.

Have a great day!

Long Labor Day Weekend = play time in the studio

Earlier this week, we had some cool weather days;

a sign that fall is just around the corner.

Fall is my favorite season in New England,

and crisp weather puts me into a creating tail spin.

This weekend turned out to be warm and humid,

so working in the cooler studio

sounded better than sweating in the garden

doing weeding chores.

I know it's a little early for Halloween,

but I got into the mood to create a prim pumkin

after seeing a particular freebie doodle from Robin of

Bird in the Hand Primitives

I chose to use my latest technique,

 making mini art canvas hangings,

and embellished it with stitching and beads.

These projects are fun, quick and easy,

giving me that instant gratification to fuel my creating habit!

I honestly can't wait for those brisk chilly days!

I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday!