Inspire Me Thursday - 'newspaper'

Macy's advertisement from last Sunday's newspaper and a handcut stencil
(which I didn't end up using)


Added gesso to soften & mute it overall, then added artist crayons to bring out my focal point...the hands....i LOVE to incorporate them into a piece....they are so expressive and of course are my favorite tool, way better than paintbrushes at times - not as indispensible as pencils tho :)


'untitled', mixed media watercolor journal

Defined the sleeves a bit more, muted out the bracelets & added a ring and stem w/leaves. I originally thought I wanted a blush-pink rose, huge in bloom, but decided on a minimalist look. I still want to add a quote along the edge of the sleeves as this journal is dedicated to quotes /self-portraits...


detailed view

Journaling with found imagery has such instant gratification, it's so easy & quick to do. I hope I've inspired you to try this...

Inspire Me Thursday & Illustration Friday

"Your self image is your pattern! Every thought has an activity visualized. Every activity belongs to a pattern. You identify with your pattern or thought. Your patterns lead your life.” -- J. G. Gallimore - Scientist, Researcher

Quick post for 'Open Topic' and 'Pattern'. Self-potrait entry in my journal, which ended up being quite busy with pattern (and intense color) which is definitely different for me. I've had lots on the go lately, buzzing with many ideas and some new projects simmering around the studio so I guess it was natural that this turned out as it did. I found the intensity a bit much at first and so reworked it but in the end decided to just leave it as is and added a favorite quote.

Anyhow I've loved patterns of all kinds forever and they always find a way into my work, even subtle ones. I rarely step out without camera or sketchbook in hand as some pattern always catches my eye, everything from architecture to the unique ones you can only find in nature - it's all good.

Have a wonderful weekend and do check out all the creativity at IF here and IMT here.

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Pear'

12x12 journal, mixed media

It's been awhile since I took part in IMT so glad I was able to squeeze some journaling in today and share this. This is the first time I've created anything with pears in it, I was inspired after going through some of my photos for still life.

The past few months have been a bit busy & strained for me, I won't go into detail (because I may need some cheese with my whine, *smile*) so I've been reminding myself to slow down, be grateful and savor all the juicy bits, as ebb usually follows flow for me :>

Anyhow, it was so fun playing with my new artist crayons and scribbling away, adding paint & charcoal, knocking it back here and there, then finally scanning it in and adding the text digitally (2 of the words were made with my wacom pen)

Wishing you all a lovely + creative weekend!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'chalk'

I've had a couple of boxes of chalk pastels laying around for awhile so glad I stopped in over at IMT to see what the prompt word was this week. I like stretching my creative muscles and have been in a major rut getting inspired to starting work on some new canvases - hopefully this little pastel painting will have me slinging paint in no time :>


established values and skin tones...


chalk pastel on Canson pastel tint paper

As you can see, I almost finished it however the nice light I had started to wane, so I called it a day. I left everything out so I can jump right back in tomorrow a.m. and then call it DONE!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to pop back in to see it completed...

IMT - 'ticket' [to a summer solstice]

The prompt this week over at Inspire Me Thursday is 'ticket' and so with tomorrow being June 21st, the Summer Solstice, I was inspired to create a poster-like drawing with a titled 'ticket' at the bottom (I may add more to the ticket, ie. date, exact time of the solstice etc.)

I tried to incorporate things that make me think of summer:

RED STRIPES - pool umbrellas, awnings, beach towels, and the red & white stripes of our US flag...
GOLDEN YELLOW - abundant sunshine & fresh fruit pies...maybe that's why my sun's middle ended up looking like a pie?!
CLOUDS - big, white, fluffy ones dotting the sky like cotton balls, giving us [short] respite from the hot, blazing, sun...and that sun is mighty hot here in Texas! :>
KITES - flying them up on a hilltop or in a field on a cool, clear breezy day, usually the day after a heavy rainfall...
GRASS - the whir of lawn mowers, knee-deep meadows, emerald green, ladybugs...


'summer solstice' moleskine, artist crayons, color pencil, pitt pen


closeup for detail

I had a lot of fun with this and actually I love creating art with the solstices in mind. I didn't get a chance to do anything for the summer solstice last year as we were in the middle of a move, but I did do one for summer 2007, you can see it in my Flickr album here as well as one for the winter solstice 2008 which you can view here

I hope you find the time to do something fun or relaxing to ring in the first day of summer.

Have a great weekend y'all!

IF 'unfold' and IMT 'child's art'

A quick post and one that happens to fit both group prompts this week - love when that happens. Thought I'd share a WIP I'm working on - part of a small series of drawings based on some of my favorite storybook characters, Alice in Wonderland being at the top of my list.

I joined an online group awhile back with the intent of starting a portfolio of children's art so I'd have some work to submit for consideration. However, I will need to show characters in a variety of poses and situations, so I've still got some work ahead of me before I start doing that....


'Alice', color pencil, digitally enhanced

When a character starts to unfold at my drawing board, much like the story itself progesses, I find that it sometimes takes on a life of it's own - no matter what 'look' I had in mind when I start it.

I'm still trying to decide what to bring into the background at least for now, however I may just leave each character as a single portrait so that a simple oval mat can be placed over them before framing.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'petals'

What a fun, carefree prompt this was. I love drawing & painting flowers and can't get enough of the color yellow lately (not sure why, it has never been a fave of mine) but it's definitely good to paint outside your 'comfort' color zone now and than :>

This was done in my handmade paperbag journal which I'm sad to say is almost full! I need to scout out some of those large, thick paper grocery bags next time I head out of town as no one here carries them, at least from what I've seen.


artist crayons, acrylic, white pen, charcoal, decorative paper, letter mini-stamps on Fabriano w/c paper in handmade paperbag journal


closeup for detail....

Thanks for stopping by and I do hope your weekend is a good one!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Umbrella'

affirmations journal, 12x12

A quick journal entry for this week's IMT prompt.....a much needed break from my 'serious' art. You see, I've immersed myself in some painting exercises / practice on tone and values since having my latest piece [constructively] critiqued. Lots of time to put in yet but to remind myself to enjoy the PROCESS in these exercises, I'm taking fun little breaks like this in my journal :>

And speaking of journaling, I'll be teaching a one-day workshop at our local gallery. It's part of their Summer program schedule on July 11th, 'Mixed Media Journaling'. Looking forward to making it a creative and inspiring day for everyone so hopefully there will be enough local response to make it a GO!

Have a great week y'all!

Inspire Me Thursday 'Swirl'

Soooo happy that I'm finally getting a chance to join in over at IMT, seems like ages since I've done any of the prompts!

I love adding swirls into my artwork - either as a background repeat motif or as part of the main subject as with this illustration. I've always been fascinated with 'Tree of Life' art and have seen many interpretations of it from different cultures and mediums including fine art, jewelry and metal sculptural wall art.


'tree of life' - moleskine, mixed media

This particular tree of life is part folk art / part expressionism representing marriage so to have some special symbolism for me, I added 13 leaves (#of years married) and also a heart entwined with a 'swirl' of roots, which pretty much signifies that everything I do is from my heart. It is at the very 'root' of my existance, guiding me to the people I need to be with on my journey and for the most part sending me down the right paths :>

Before I forget, I also wanted to mention that Susan Tuttle is having another GIVEAWAY of her book, Exhibition 36: Mixed Media Demonstrations & Explorations. I already have a copy of her FABULOUS book, but it would be nice to gift somebody if I win. Pop on over to her blog and enter here

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week!

Illustration Friday & Inspire Me Thursday

ram⋅bunc⋅tious [ram-buhngk-shuhs] –adjective
1. difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
2. turbulently active and noisy: a social gathering that became rambunctious and out of hand.

dress [dres] noun, adjective, verb, dressed or drest, dress⋅ing. –noun
1. an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
2. clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
3. a particular form of appearance; guise.


moleskine, pen & colored pencil

Dug up my journal and decided to sketch a bit, I forgot how good it feels to just play with pencils & paper - I need to do that more...

By the way, have you heard of Junk Gypsy? I discovered this Texas family owned business when we put down some roots here earlier this year. I love their rock meets country-western meets gypsy-goth style and attitude. Did I mention attitude? :> And yes, a Junk Gypsy is most definitely rambunctious, even when she's wearing her petticoat dress.

Do check them out and get the goods on everything from jewelry (some of its pricey) & tees to purses and pillows and don't forget to poke around in their vintage stash....

Thanks y'all for taking the time to visit. Have a great weekend!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'A Poem by Rumi...'

'Free Spirit' acrylic on 12x12 birch panel

I just finished this painting yesterday so this is a very timely prompt for me. I only came to know of this Mystic Poet's teachings a few years ago when I set out to 'find myself ' through art. It is said that his work transcends national and ethnic borders, I believe that is true. The first quote is my favorite (ok one of!) and the others seemed particularly fitting alongside this piece.
----------------------------------------------------------
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.

You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?

We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.

Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness.

Oh soul, you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less, why do you worry?
You are in truth the soul, of the soul, of the soul.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for taking the time to visit - have an illuminating weekend.

Illustration Fri. -'clique', IMT - 'storyteller'

mixed media, handmade paperbag journal

Finally getting a chance to post to IF and Inspire Me Thursday and it just happens I was able to combine the two prompts, love when that happens!

This spread was created in my paperbag journal (created from a tutorial from the talented Judy Wise -- you'll have to scroll down a bit at this link as the tute is in her archives) which has been filling up quickly these past few weeks. I'm experimenting with lots of techniques and layout ideas before bringing them to canvas or wood panels which are primed and ready to go. I think with Autumn finally here (that is on the calendar anyway, we're still experiencing fairly warm weather here in south Texas, but nights are slowly cooling off) I'm feeling more creative again after such a hot, hot summer, especially when you're used to cool Midwest summers :>

Have a great weekend!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Breath' (long post!)

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." -- unknown

mixed media on 12x12 wood panel

I had so many breath-taking moments at ConvenZioNE's inaugural mixed media art retreat a little over a week ago in Pleasanton, CA that I wanted to share it with you all at Inspire Me Thursday! I have to tell you, the creative energy there was so electric - so many kindred spirits in one place at the same time plus the town & surrounding areas were so beautiful.... I also felt myself catching my breath when meeting 'mixed media art celebrities' Lisa Kaus, Sally Jean Alexander as well as Dawn DeVries Sokol author of the book '1000 Journal Pages' featuring many artist friends. Some of the actual journals were there with the pages from the book to see in person, sooo cool.... (Dawn, so glad you liked my journals and that I'll be contributing to the Moly_exchange you've hosted, will be in touch soon!)

Susan Tuttle was a wonderful & patient teacher, thoroughly explaining her techniques, with step-by-step handouts to take home -- just a great soulful, experience for all of us in her class. Also, I do think I liked the smaller class size (and retreat attendee size in general) because it was more intimate & personal, but that's just my opinion :> My self-portrait piece was about 90% finished by the time the class ended. I had some finishing touches when I got home but pretty much the whole thing, start to finish, was done during Susan's class -- can't wait to try out more of her background techniques!

Here are some pics from the trip. After the opening day lunch we were free to explore & browse the many shops & boutiques on Main Street at Bella Galleria. My favorite (and everyone else's too I think!) was American Harvest. Folk art, cottage-style decor, and vintage treasures married with fabulous displays & lots of mixed media goodies, oh my!

Closeup vintage dressform - what a great idea, now I know what to do with that box of vintage vowel cards.....

Me & Susan at Saturday nite's group dinner, fabulous margaritas, great food & the best of company :>

The lovely Lani Kent, Susan & Dawn DeVries Sokol pose for a quick pic near the end of the night....

The hills & area surrounding Pleasanton were absolutely breath-taking! Vineyards surrounded by rolling hills, dotted with homes in small clusters here and there.

Time to go.....I will miss the beauty of that area, the many experiences I shared and all the creative, artistic souls I met that weekend -- until we meet again :>

IF 'canned' and IMT 'beach'

moleskine, watercolor, pitt pen, digital text

Some 'canned' sunshine for Illustration Friday's challenge with a 'beach' scene label for Inspire Me Thursday's prompt.

And let me tell ya - after all the wind, rain & clouds we've had the last few days after the tail end of Hurricane Dolly, we sure need a 'can of sunshine'!

Have a great weekend!!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Polka Dots'

A little late getting this in but thought I'd share it anyhow. I've been working on a portfolio of surface design work from my doodles as I've always loved patterns & whimsical design. Polka Dots are one of the most versatile design patterns don't you think? One of my recent creations just happens to have Polka Dots in it. I've created it in a few different color combos, this one being pink & green.

I also mocked up a greeting card in the pink & green version which I'll be posting in my Zazzle shop very soon. I think it would be a wonderful inspirational pick-me-upper card for anyone experiencing a little "rain" in their life :>



inside: 'So walk boldly and carry a BIG umbrella!'

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Healing'

moleskine, watercolor, pitt pen

'This week’s creative prompt is Healing. We have all felt pain at certain times in our lives — sometimes physical, sometimes emotional. Create art that celebrates your own personal stories of healing. Be inspired by medicine, nature, faith, or whatever may have helped you during your journey to healing.'

My offering for this week's IMT prompt couldn't have come at a better time. I've been struggling lately with a few issues since our big move to Texas 2 months ago. Some are art-related, some not.

To me, nature always seems to be the place where peace can be found and healing begins. It's been so hot here lately but as the day cools down I've been heading outside - either on bike with my daughter, alone with camera in hand or out for a good power walk when I just need to sort things out. Upon returning I find my step a bit lighter, my mood somewhat brighter and the surprise for me is that I've been turning to my journals to reflect and try to record my thoughts & feelings with images (altho I would love to fill the pages with a flow of words, my pages still tend to be more visual). Understand that I have never been a journal or diary keeper so to do this on a regular basis is a breakthrough for me! :>

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and I hope that whatever healing you are going through, peace & light stay with you on your journey.

IMT - 'Find the Art in the Everyday'

"Let’s revisit a favorite theme of mine: Find the Art in the Everyday. As you go through your day, look for the beauty. Find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Take a photo, draw a sketch, journal about it, then share with all of us here."

We've only been here at our new home in south Texas less than a month but I've been exploring our town and local communities with day trips. San Antonio is on my list to visit very soon, however I know I'll need a weekend (minimum for starters!) for that. I do believe that art is everywhere and that window-shopping, store displays and out of the way places yield some of the most amazing pieces of 'everyday art'!

Walking throught the doors of this building was a breath of fresh air and a bit like stepping back in time.....

The Emporium - Del Rio, TX One of the town's most historic buildings - you can feel the history & charm of this amazing shoppe the minute you walk through the doors! Old fashioned ice cream sodas, coke floats, or a real fountain drink can be found and all of the ice cream treats are made with Texas Blue Bell Ice Cream. They also serve specialty coffee drinks and Italian sodas, such as frozen cappuccino or frozen lemonade.

Other items available include antiques, Texas jams & jellies, gifts, children's games, stationery and scrapbooking supplies.

Betty and Jim Sanders are the owners of this delightful place! Jim's grandfather originally purchased the building back in the late 19th century. I introduced myself to Betty, told her a little bit about my art/creative background - we had a great time chatting and I promised I'd be back for a treat real soon!

What flavor are you? I'm 'Butterscotch' :)

Inspire Me Thursday - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Here is my offering for Inspire Me Thursday's theme this week: 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' for Earth Day 2008 honoring precious Mother Earth.

Fresh paint in my paper bag journal that I made after seeing a tutorial on one of my favorite artists blog, Judy Wise. The woman is insanely creative & talented - I would love to make it to one of her classes some day, her journals are so real and unbelievable, honestly :) These journals are fairly easy to make, the only thing I would maybe do differently with my next one is not crumple the bags and simply cut them to size /stitch together. Either that or alternate wrinkled pages with smooth ones for more options.

As some of you may know I'm relocating to the Southwest in a few weeks, so not much else has been on my mind - packing & purging are on my daily to-do list. I think the folks at Goodwill are starting to expect to see me just about every day lately! This entry reflects how I've been feeling lately. The butterfly you see (taken from my growing stash of magazine clippings for collage work) is only one of many that are fluttering around in my stomach these days as I prepare our family for the.big.move.

I took a trip to the Southwest recently to check out some new digs - here are some of my fave photos. I loaded them up in this cool little [paperless] photo album and added some music , a spin on the Rolling Stones' 1971 song, 'Wild Horses', as I was feeling quite moody & nostalgic putting this together. The story behind the original song can be found here.

Enjoy...

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Gratitude'

I've been wanting to make my own journal for awhile now so IMT's 'gratitude' prompt and Thanksgiving were the nudge I needed.

The inspiration for this handmade journal was a great tutorial from artist Judy Wise - I love Judy's style and 'go for it' attitude! She's always so generous with sharing her techniques and journal spreads too.

This particular journal is made from grocery paper bags and bound with a coptic stitch (not sure I did that part completely right, but for the most part it's put together ok!) I love how crinkly and textured the surface is and that it's sturdy enough to 'play' in :) I think it will be a great place to sketch out ideas and also to try out my handcarved stamps. I also LOVE the colors in the fabric swatch that I used as a wrap for the cover and had a lot of fun embellishing it.



I have so many things to be thankful for and really have so much when many in the world do not, a very humbling thought to me...



Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Inspire Me Thursday & Illustration Friday

acrylics, canvas 8x10

Doubling up on challenges this week and both are slightly late getting in but as they say, better late than never! I've been swamped moving all my stuff into my new studio space these last few weeks and getting organized. It's great being organized but a bit stifling for creative flow at least for me - I need to make a mess when I'm working on something other than drawing or sketching.

Anyhow, both challenge words IMT: 'Hats' and IF: 'Extremes' fit for this piece and obviously Hallowe'en had a small part in it too. I feel like these theme words also apply to me and how I've felt all year - trying on many 'Hats' to see which ones fit and taking 'Extreme' steps out of my comfort zone!!

I don't think this is quite finished - I still want to add some more contrast overall, especially to the hat. I also planned on painting something dangling off the end of the hat and possibly adding some text. However, I do like how this piece has a bit of a double take to it - it can be either one witch standing with feet turned out or 2 witches in a standoff for the hat. I'll leave that up to you to decide - on the other hand you may be seeing something different altogether, hee!