From the Garden

 

Thought some mixed-media garden pieces might be in order in the midst of all of these bird picture posts!  The photograph above was taken at a lavender farm in Sequim, Washington.  Next is my loose interpretation of that photograph.  The poppy heads were made with Golden's light modeling paste and have chenille stems.

I made this second piece for my mom for Mother's Day, to go along with some "real" delphiniums.  Golden's light modeling paste was used for the texture of the fence and the plants, and added dimension was added with bits of vintage lace.  After painting, I added a few garden stakes cut from old pages of text.  I rarely use words in my artwork, so this was a fun brain exercise.  I can see now why everyone loves to add text to their work - it was amazing how many sentences from just two pages of an old story fit the mood

The digital frame I've used in this post can be found here on my images blog.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Art Fest Art Feast!

The Castle at Fort Worden

I'm still basking in the glow of art-euphoria from my time at Art Fest a couple of weeks ago. Three full days of art classes at Fort Worden in gorgeous Port Townsend, WA, immersed in a temporary community (a glamorous way of saying we all stayed together in military housing) of five hundred and seventy other enthusiastic, art-loving souls.

My little home-away-from-home

In the throes of the excitement of this being my first Art Fest experience, I didn't take hardly any pictures. Too much other exciting stuff going on to think about something as "mundane" as a camera... in other words - I was having so much fun that I forgot! However, here are some quick shots of some of the incredible student work displayed at the retreat's gallery on our last evening, which will give you a taste of what goes on during the day. (My apologies to the artists for the military dining hall-lit/over-the-head/under-the-arm/through-the-crowd pics...)

As you peruse these images, imagine the individual artists' experiences and enthusiasm in creating each of these pieces under the tutelage of some amazing teachers, multiply that energy by nearly 600 people from all walks of life from all over the world, multiply that by three days of classes and four evenings of gatherings, impromptu creating, and trading tiny pieces of artwork and supplies at every available opportunity... and you have an idea of what Art Fest is all about.

Artwork from students taught by: Bee Shay, Misty Mawn, Tracy Batista, and LK Ludwig:

Lulu Moonwood

Sorry - missing the name of this artist

Nancy Brister

Heather Foust

Betsy Spencer

Barb Brister

Nelly Eisenhower


Lorna Sommer

Students' in Stephanie Lee's class created their own Santos:


Sorry - missing the name of this artist


Also missing this artist's name... creator of perhaps the first Jackalope Santos - ever...

Melody

from Alex Shur's spontaneous watercolor class:

(I'm SO embarrassed to have forgotten this lovely artist's name, especially after our wonderful evening conversations. If anyone knows this artist from Dorm 202, please email me!)

The technique involved quickly puddling colors, then looking at the puddles and painting in details of "what you see" - rather like seeing shapes in clouds. I was so blown away by this gorgeous cat - and the artist had never painted or used watercolors before. Isn't this amazing? It's truly one of my "very favorite things" from the entire week.

Robert Smith's students made the most fascinating items out of wire and...
sausage casings! (Who knew?)

Tory Breckenshire's illuminated octopus

Jennifer Cabezas

Jennevieve Schlemmer

Pretty in Red!
Students of Richard Salley, Pamela Huntington, Gina Rossi Armfield and Linda & Opie O'Brien

Linda Freeman
Linda's show-stopper (literally) mixed-media collage. She used pieces from decorative tin cans, vintage Christmas light reflectors and other elements to perfection. As always, Linda - such a stunning piece!

Morag Campbell
Morag's sweet portrait of herself and her sister. From what a little art-bird told me, Morag continued to do some further techniques to this pretty collage after Art Fest. .. Can't wait to see the finished piece, Mo!

Morag Campbell
This is a small portion of Morag's multi-piece 3-D theatre. She did some very cool things with her theatre, including adding an audience as a front/top layer. She had already taken it apart for packing at this point - hopefully she will post a picture of the assembled piece now that she's back home.

Lynn Davis

And for those who love mosaics...

Kathy Taylor created this beautiful portrait in Katherine England's class

And this, you wonder? No, it's not a piece of artwork from the mosaic class - it's actually a small portion of a very nice woman's completely encrusted CAR! Only at Art Fest!

More Mixed-Media Beauties:

Linda Freeman created this beautiful copper Talisman necklace in Melissa Manley's class. The box opens to reveal a secret scroll - you can just see a peek of it in this picture. What does it say? I don't know... it's a secret!

From Tracie and Marylin Huskamp's FABulous textured landscapes class:
(By the way, if you EVER have a chance to take a class from Tracie and Marylin, Do It! This was an amazing day - they are incredibly talented - and incredibly sweet!)

Rhonda Parent
Just look at that sky and the dramatic red foreground. Stunning!

Heather Bentley's gorgeous moonscape
Heather was my table-mate in this class. It was so amazing to see her beautiful piece in progress - a bit of lace here, thread there, scraps of netting, a few beads, and that gorgeous seashell moon that she tinted with an amber glow... another one of my "very favorite things" at Art Fest!

Heather's table-mate (me!)

I had the lavender fields of Sequim on my mind...

Lynn Woodard

I love Lynn's piece, especially her clouds... and the marshy water... and the way she used her embellishments... and....

From Lynne Perrella's large-format layered collage technique class:

(My piece is still in-progress... will be posting pics at a later date)

Tory Breckenshire

Molina

Michele Vass

Another missing artist's name... why oh why didn't I write these down? This gracious woman was in my class, and it was incredible to see this collage progress throughout the day. Such drama and rich colors and texture - what a lovely, lovely collage. See the subtle way she echoed the parasol images with the real paper mini-parasol, the way the maiden's gaze is fixed on the bird, and the way she integrated the lower scenery into the bodice... stunning!

And Lastly, students of Michael deMeng

(alas, another of my pieces still in-progress...)

Michael's techniques are extremely intriguing, and it was quite interesting to see students' interpretations of the three different class themes; however, most of the artwork did not echo Michael's very dark style. Here are two beautiful pieces from our class, "Cave of Pages" - I wish I had a picture of each person's work from that class - so imaginitive with stunning use of color and texture.

Jennifer Lorton

Roberta

And Finally, three incredible assemblages from Michael's "Masks" class:

Inez Gray

There are some very cool things going on here - an intriguing piece from all angles.

Janne Robberstad

Just love this piece of Janne's... the "asymmetrical symmetry," gorgeous verdigris, and subtle humor. Another one of my "favorite things."

Q: Can you guess what she used as the main element in her assemblage?

(A: An old hairdryer!)

Sue Hadden
Of all of the 1500-plus pieces of artwork created that week, this is my hands-down favorite - so lovable, humorous and completely unexpected. There were constant gasps and and huge smiles as everyone gradually made their way around to the end of this table. Definitely the most unexpected interpretation of Michael's mask theme. I don't know what the artist used as her main component, but from the back it was hollow and threaded - so intriguing. So imaginitive. Definitely possesses the "it" factor... whatever "it" is, this lovable pup has it!

Hope you've enjoyed this little sampling of some of the creativity expressed at ArtFest. It was an amazing week and an incredible experience. But as fabulous as that all was, friendships - both new and old - were the most lovely part of it all.

Paper Doll Dresses

On Sunday, we had our first Art Party of the year. I don't know about all of the other Lunch Ladies, but I have greatly missed these days together. What a wonderful day, filled with fun and laughter, creativity and the company of such lovely, generous, thoughtful friends. I'm truly one of the luckiest gals on the planet.

For our project this time, we made Paper Doll Dresses. We put a big pile of community goodies in the middle of the table, then created our own dresses on a base of cardstock. Thanks to Linda and Grace's Big Adventure to the Paper Doll exhibit in Edmonds - that was the inspirational starting point for our project. Thanks to Lyneen for providing links and ideas on her blog, and to Linda for bringing a template. And to Everyone for bringing goodies, smiles,great food and their zest for life. Lunch Ladies Rock!

Kris added a paper doily apron to her dress with the flower collar - so sweet! If this doesn't make you think spring, nothing will!


Miki's nearly-finished dress is gorgeous in muted shades of brown and blue. She wins the Best Use of a Bird Image honor of the day. (Yes, I just made that up!) But, if I were a paper doll, this is definitely one dress I'd want to have!


Linda's gingham dress is so cute - look at those teeny buttons and lace trim! And, such a cute pleated text collar. She started the clothes-pin trend, also. Can't you just imagine this adorable spring frock hanging on the clothesline, gently flapping in the breeze?



The back of Grace's dress is just as beautiful as the front! Such a lovely way to use music sheets, and look at that lovely pleated hem! This would have any doll humming a happy tune!


The back of Grace's dress - yes, the back! Isn't it pretty? Her doll will be coming and going in style!



My nearly-finished dress, which has since been revised by the addition of a gorgeous birdcage image given to me by Lyneen. Thank you, Lyneen! The beautiful flower print is from a dinner napkin Miki threw into our community mix. Thanks, Miki!



And here is Lyneen's knock-your-socks-off creation. She made her own French-style pattern and embellished with machine-gathered crepe paper, lace, tissue paper, and Dresden trim. Isn't that bodice the cutest thing ever?

Thank you, Ladies, for once again making the day fun and memorable!

Kitsap Quilters' Show

Mom and I recently had the opportunity to attend the Kitsap Quilters' show at our local fairgrounds. It was a wonderful afternoon, filled with inspiration. Here are some portions of a few of the quilts that caught my eye. Unfortunately, I don't know the names of any of these artists - I was having so much fun gawking and taking pictures that I forgot to write down any of the artists' information! As you can see, they are a talented group of quilters:

A lovely, bright combination of patchwork and applied flowers:




Very sweet oragami-style flowers:

Bright swirls and stars:

Oh my - just look at all of these tiny points! Wonderfully accented by the
black and white inner border:

And, you've just gotta' love the gal who loves Elvis enough
to have crafted this tribute:

Gorgeous Hawaiian-style applique' in shades of the sea:

Stunning Blue Jays in Native Alaskan-style applique

Very classy blended hexagons:

Traditional patchwork designs in contemporary batiks:

Amazing thread-painted quilt
(yes, those feathers are made of thousands of yards of thread!):

Very imaginative use of fibers in this lovely seascape mini-quilt:

And my personal favorite:
Handpainted seashells in natural shades in the style of Velda Newman.
Just look at the exquisite quilting on this piece!
Fancy threads, handpainting and just a hint of sparkle to complete the under-sea fantasy.

A close-up of the starfish that made my heart go "pitty-pat..."