Art Cabinet Update

I have to say that this cabinet is my favorite piece of furniture in my house.  It's nothing grand...it wasn't expensive (consignment shop!).  It was someone's old dining room cabinet from decades ago.  And I think I gave it a new lease on life.

The light is very bright from the snow coming in the windows, so it's hard to see the details.  However, I decided to take the old handles and knobs that came with the cabinet and paint them black.  They were a tired, old brass....at least that's what they looked like.  I also added a bit of gold down the piece of wood where the doors meet on the bottom.  I wanted each section of the cabinet to have some gold.  And I added a small black star at the top...again to make the cabinet have some uniformity.  I added some more gold to the dentil molding on the top so it shows more (although you can't really see any of the gold in this photo).  I still have touch-ups to do but I really love it and it's working just great in my art room.  My sister had suggested that I add a harlequin pattern on the sides...rather ambitious...but I haven't ruled it out (did I ever mention I'm not good in math?) because once I finish the cabinet, I want to seal it so it preserves the painting I've done on it.  At least that's my thought at this moment in time.  If you go back numerous postings, you can see how the cabinet looked when I brought it home. 

Altered Book Class - Paris

It was nice to venture out yesterday....a sunny day with no new snow.  But it was cold!  At class this month we did a couple of pages in our altered books on Paris.  We learned how to make the fan on the right hand page and our instructor had all kinds of "Paris" themed objects to use to decorate the pages.  The fun thing about this is that we all had similar objects to choose from... but everybody's pages looked different and unique...and that's why it's fun.

The Word is...CHAMELEON

I decided to add another word to my word journal this weekend..Chameleon.  It has a nice sound to it....and it means...."a small lizard whose skin changes color...especially according to its surroundings....and here are the pages...(still working on them)

 Isn't that a great lizard??  I found him on a National Geographic site.  And the page of "grasses" in front of him flips open....not sure what I am going to add there, possibly another lizard.  I should be doing more drawing of the illustrations rather than printing photos from the internet....this lizard almost looks like he's laughing....at what?

FACES

I wasn't going to blog about this drawing because I don't like it, but I think you can learn from your mistakes.  Unless you're very accomplished in drawing faces and see all of the nuances....it's very difficult to capture the "spirit" of the face...the soul.  So this drawing I drew without looking at a face and...she has no soul. She is just flat.  Colorful, but flat.

So, I need to go back to photos of faces...fashion magazines are a great resource...and really look at the face I am drawing...in order to give it life.  The picture below you've seen before on my blog, but look at the difference as to when you pay attention to detail...there is a "light" behind her eyes...almost wistful....  So...practice, practice practice....

The Word is "Crayon"

Crayon may not seem like a special word to be added to a "word journal"; we just take the word for granted and don't really think about it...but a definite visual image comes to mind when we hear that word....the box of Crayola Crayons in particular.  And there is nothing like the smell of a new box of crayons.  The next best thing...is the names they give them like wisteria and asparagus and indigo and mauvelous...got to love them!

I've always loved to color...whether it was coloring books at an early age or those "paint by number" kits (do they still make those??) or whatever was available.

When I was a senior in high school, I had appendicitis and landed in the hospital.  So, while I was there...I colored in coloring books to pass the time, and everyone who came to visit me, while we were chatting, had to color a page in my book and sign it.  I kept that coloring book for years...wish I still had it now.

Euphoria didn't happen.....

 

I decided to work in my word journal today and I chose the word....EUPHORIA.  Funny thing about that...euphoria didn't work for me today...wasn't feeling it.  But these two pages developed in the journal.  There is no "word" featured here, I just created storage pockets for the various words and phrases that I cut out of magazines to use in collage work.  This dual purpose altered book is working out OK...special words and word storage....I won't give up on finding ....euphoria...another time....

p.s.  The Good Things business card is from a store in Idaho where I used to ship some of my painted bird houses for sale quite awhile ago....loved their card....even more amazed that I could find it!

Ground Hog Day

This is the worst weather I've ever experienced living here in the northeast and I've lived here since 1974....I'm a wreck!  My gutters are jammed with ice and on the back bedroom side of the house, water is leaking in the bedroom windows and bathroom too, downstairs to the first floor bath...right down to the basement.  It's a nightmare.  I have buckets here and there and towels and plastic bags.....

So, in my attempts to distract myself (it's not working), I journaled a winter page and a "sunny" page (encouraged by my sister) and here they are.  

On the "sunnier" page, I have the lyrics to the Beatle tune...Good Day, Sunshine...thank you John, Paul, George & and Ringo.... once upon a time.
I used parts of a paper napkin on the sunny page.

Altered Book Class Resumed

 

 Silhouette Art

The monthly Altered Book class resumed on Saturday after a 2 month hiatus during the holiday season.  For this class, the technique is silhouette art....you can sort of see the 3-D effect.  I didn't complete the piece in class, because there were all of these little pieces of seaweed and a tiny mermaid to be cut out to "layer" in the framed part...my scissors just weren't small enough to handle those cuts so I created my little seascape inside the frame.  It's not quite as 3-D as the one done in class, but I get the idea.  And, of course, I had to jazz it up...the seahorse is looking pretty good and I have lots of beaded glass gel in this to give the water some sparkle.

More Journaling Using My Recycled Art

I did the left side page last night...I took some of the elements from the page  on the right and elsewhere to create the page.  I'm still not happy with the page on the right so...still thinking about what to do to it.

And today I dug a tunnel from my driveway over to the far side of the house to make sure the oil delivery guy could get to the pipe...but it turned out to be great fun for Boomer because the yard has been too deep for him.  Now he has a racearena.  I didn't take photos of that but check out these icicles....I have since knocked them down out front ....but every  now and then...I hear one fall out back...and the mailboxes at the end of the driveway.....

Y' all Come!

And It's Only January.....

Free As A Butterfly - Pam Carriker Workshop

 

This is another exercise using some of Pam Carriker's techniques.  These two pages have paint, collage elements, oil pastel, charcoal pencil, gesso, etc.

The "hat lady" was from a fashion magazine.  I copied the picture and printed it in black and white on my printer and then played with the face.  Here is the original...obviously she looks better in the photo....but how would you look with gesso brushed over you?  And the idea is to reinvent it....

 

More Journal Pages - Strathmore Workshop

Tribute to the Pottery Barn Catalog

I did these two pages last night...two things I've taken from the workshop thus far:  choose materials that are similar in color....it doesn't matter what the subject...and create your page;  and use your charcoal pencil to add shadow to make things "pop".

All of the collage elements I cut out of the catalog.  

When I first started these two pages, I had made black & white copies of some of my prior journal page art.  I placed them randomly on the two pages....and I didn't like it.  So I brushed a coat of gesso over them and then sanded the pages.  At first, I was going to use gesso and make the images disappear....I'm so glad I turned a "mistake" into a great backdrop for what I think turned out to be interesting pages...the bird on the left was one of the images...and look what it did to the page.  Imagine if I had edited the bird out....  I'm enjoying this workshop...

Here's the left page....

 

 And this is the right page.....After I sanded the two pages, I put a color wash on the page....and then I added a little bit of another color wash.  I did some rubber stamping in brown and some in black.  Then I started to glue the collage elements.  After that I took the charcoal pencil around and blended the charcoal.  Inspired by the catalog....

Workshop Lesson

Red, White & Blue Lady

Another entry from my workshop with Pam Carriker. This assemblage is created from 3 prior art journal pages...the red & white striped sleeves and legs were from a July 4 art piece that I did and they are part of a tablecloth....the skirt of her dress is from a page I did about a winter night and her star/head from yet another page. There are oil pastels here, charcoal pencil and a jewel on her turban cut from a magazine. The snowflake...donated by a friend from a Christmas card....and she has a bluebird on her shoulder.

Strathmore Workshop - Pam Carriker

I decided to take an online workshop hosted by Pam Carriker and Strathmore using their Visual Journal and my Recyled Journal Pages.  The frustrating part of this is....for whatever reason...I can't actually open the videos!!  So...I went to YouTube and looked at some of Pam's videos that she's done with Strathmore...at least I can capture some of her techniques there.

So the first page in the book...I figured I needed a "dedication"...and found the quote in a magazine that I was clipping last night....

And so the journey begins...I can almost assure you that I will add more to these two pages...

Two Heads Are Better Than One

And the word is....OPUS

You know....I recommend a Word Journal for every one...it doesn't have to be an "art" thing....but words are powerful.  


I watched a movie on TV recently that I wanted to see when it came out in the theater...and it's been on TV numerous times....and it was made in 1995....and yet, I had never taken the time to see it....it's Mr. Holland's Opus and it's a fantastic movie that everyone should see....we are all teachers of some sort....and those who make teaching their profession...it should be required viewing.  I can't believe I hadn't seen it before now...but better late than never.  
So...inspired by this movie, the next word in my Word Journal is.... OPUS.  

The top photo is the left page, the one directly above is the right photo.  Here they are together....  underneath the cd cover I have written about how music is a big part of the memories of one's life....going to dances, a song that makes you think of your first boyfriend, special moments in history, places you've lived and so on.   In the end, think of your life as a musical composition..how would it sound...hopefully those you've touched...will applaud at the end."

My Art Room just keeps getting better.....

Boomer likes it....

Decided to make a major change in the space and move the desk from my kitchen into this room...because I wanted my computer, printer, everything all together....well, I had no idea how it would affect my computer/phone connections which are all tied into ...cable.  So  I've had one of those weeks where I spent more time than I ever want to spend again on the phone with the cable company...they don't speak the Queen's English either....and I had the cable guy here last night....and I had my computer techie neighbor here today...and I think I'm finally good to go.....isn't technology grand?  But I couldn't blog without it....

I think I'm about at 85% of where I want to be in finally getting this room to look the way I want....and be user friendly for what I want to do.  Maybe 90%...The light from the windows is so bright with the snow.....

Can We Just Move On To February?

OK....it's winter...I get that, but I'm ready for the January thaw.  Between the post Christmas blizzard and the 18+ inches dumped on us last night...I've had my "fix" of snow....

 The top photo is looking out at the dining table on my deck and the bottom photo is looking out the window in my art room.  It is all beautiful...no doubt about that, but it's going to be there for awhile....lots of schlepping in boots.  Ugh.

The Art Cabinet

Still working on the cabinet....at a snail's pace, but I thought I would show the latest.  The gold star needs another coat of paint and you can't see that there's a bit of gold on the dental molding on the top of the piece.  I do love this piece....it's come a long way from being the sad, old cabinet that probably was someone's pride and joy dining room cabinet...a very long time ago.  I'm giving it a new life.

The Word Journal - Addition

Nothing like some snow to keep you in your art space....I love it.  I just did these two pages.  When I first thought about doing a Word Journal, I was going to be very selective about the words I chose....but as so often happens when I'm doing these "art journal pages"....things go off in another direction which is what happened today.  


For whatever reason, maybe it's because my bird feeder fell into the snow....stick with me...this is going somewhere....but "birds" were on my mind.
The next thing I know is I'm thinking of an old song from my early high school days (the kind of tune that drove parents crazy just like rap music does today),   I thought of Surfin Bird by The Trashmen.  That was a song that would get everybody dancing....if you grew up then...you know what I mean.  So..."the word is the bird"!


And...not to forget the art part....I created another pocket to put more "words & phrases" in for use in other art as seen on the left side of the page.

The Word Journal - The Cover

In A Word

I've been playing with my new word journal- altered book.  The cover of this book is actually a royal blue.  I gessoe'd it and when I first used this stencil that was in the scrapbooking section of Michael's, I did the spaces in different colors of sage green, pale orange, golden yellow....and I didn't like it at all...it just didn't "pop"...and it didn't speak to me.  So...the beauty of gesso....I covered it all over, added a coat of white paint and then did the holes in black.

Do you remember those black and white composition books we all grew up with in school?  Well...I think of this as sort of my version.  I spent last night cutting words out of whatever I could find...magazines, catalogs, etc., and these are what I came up with.  There is no connection to the words...they are just random...but I do like all of them.

I haven't decided on the back cover yet, but it might just be the reverse of this...I'm working on another inside page at the moment....playing with words...

Last Post of 2010

Still a work in progress....but getting there....

 DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!

Putting Christmas Away

Since I go back to work on Monday and don't want to spend the weekend cleaning after the holidays, I got it done today.  Besides, I've often heard (perhaps an old wives tale) that it's bad luck to have your tree up on New Year's Day...it gives me an incentive anyway.... I was putting away the santas on my mantle and had to share....  In the photo below is my grandmother's baby cup ( my mother's mother) and her name was Virginia....you guessed it....yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  And the sign the Santa is holding is what I wish for the planet...  PEACE....will it ever happen?

Last Treat of 2010...

I decided to treat myself this morning....so I made popovers.  If you've never had a popover....to die for.  Eat while it's hot and the butter melts and add some great preserves.  A little bowl of berries and a cup of java....it was divine.  Enjoyed while looking out the window at my bird feeder....
If you didn't have a nice breakfast this morning....tomorrow is the beginning of a brand new year....start anew.

...and the WORD is.....MUSE

 

I started an altered book yesterday and it's going to be all about "words".  The book will serve two purposes....I will include pages that feature a single word that interests me...and...it will also serve as a book that stores all of the little phrases and words that I cut out of magazines and catalogues that I use in doing collage.  The picture above is a page on the left side of my book featuring the word...MUSE.  Love the word.  And I just happened to have this wonderful tissue paper from the Metropolitan Museum of Art....and there...you find "muse" in Museum....I love it when things come together like this.  Here's  the next photo...

 I created the left side page before I did this right hand page.  This page contains a pocket.  The background of the pocket is a piece of black & white scrapbooking paper.  I used that same paper in the first photo...inside the cd sleeve which makes a wonderful window.  I added metal letters that spell out "muse".  The pocket contains a plastic sleeve into which I placed words and phrases that I will use in other collage work.  So...not only educational but useful storage as well!  I can add and substract words from the envelope.  And I can see them....

Here are both pages together...I hope you are...amused!

Greetings of the Season

I haven't written a single Christmas card this season....so this is my greeting!  Actually, it would be nice if I painted this scene instead of uploading a photo...maybe next year.  My packages are wrapped, some family arrives today...I need to vacuum and dust and make a pot of soup.  I don't need to leave my house today...thank goodness!  In NYC...it's a "gridlock alert" day! What does that tell you....can't we turn back the clock and just simplify the season a bit and remember what we're really celebrating here?  Retailers rush us from one holiday to the next...you could actually find your Valentine a gift today...I've already seen them in the stores.  I'm just going to "tune out" all of this commercial stuff and enjoy my family, good food and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
 

A Few of My Favorite Things....

Take a breath....

This and That

The Art Cabinet

Painting this is not without it's challenges, but you can sort of see the direction I am going with this....still have lots to do.

A Work In Progress

I've been wanting a cabinet that I could "put my own stamp" on ever since I converted my den to my art space.  Previously, I had a large cabinet in the corner where this one is ....but it was designed for a TV.  It outlived its purpose in this room.  So....I wandered into a home interior consignment shop last Saturday....and there was this cabinet.  I definitely wanted one that had glass on top and drawers and storage underneath for my art supplies.  This is an old, tired cabinet that needs some TLC ( it may not look that way in the photo).  And I am going to definitely change it from the traditional piece that it is.  Paint is a wonderful thing! 
So, today I sanded off the old varnish and put a coat of primer on it.  

I had a great chat with my local hardware store about what I want to do, looked at some colors and discussed glazes.  I can't wait to get to the fun part! 

Come Sit Awhile....

I had fun doing this little vignette.  I put a color wash on the paper and then I added the napkin which is the wall in this picture.   I love the texture that the napkin adds.  I then painted the carpeting in.  If you look closely, you can see the subtle pattern in the rug that is the same design that appears on the back of the chair.  On a separate piece of watercolor paper, I painted the chair which I then cut out and glued to the picture.  Ta da.  Fun.