Color, cards, and a tip of the hat

After a hot, productive day, I decided to take on Papertrey Ink's invitation to play with color in the spirit of Andy Warhol.  

 Inspired by the current state of my work table,

My work table tonight

I picked out a stamp from a set about art supplies:

Part of the set - Anyone know the maker?

The Papertrey video explains the steps well enough for even a slapdash person like me to follow. More or less. 

Sticky notes, printed and trimmed, mask the stamps. Painter's tape masks the grounds, one at a time.

Getting started.

 When I slipped up doing the backgrounds, the result reminded me of a shadow. So I repeated the effect in the other quadrants. A soft pink frame and a Papertrey wish finished it off.

Finished

 Lots of fun. Might just do this again tomorrow.

Add and Subtract

The track of memories has drawn me to this photo, taken by my father over 50 years ago. Me and my big sister, in matching outfits made by my mother's mom.

Easter bonnets. Easter flowers.

  

 Old photos often serve me as source for sketch book explorations. 

Recently I realized that even  my rudimentary Photoshop skills were enough to manipulate images on the computer.

experimenting with addition and subtraction

What to add, what to remove, to evoke change, loss, memory?

three layers of past tense images

Every idea is a branching path.

I picked this one to follow this spring.

Layered image, reversed for transfer printing

Printed and transferred onto vintage tea napkin, the image argued with earlier random dying. It ached for color. So I painted, collaged, and stitched.

After a month's rest, that seemed too chaotic. Perhaps I'm responding to the news. It seemed important to bring more unity, to echo pattern, to calm and center the piece.

12x12, mixed media, mounted on board

What do you think? Finished now?

Snow in July

Sometimes it's good to lean back. Imagine chilly winds, while hot sun streams through studio windows.

Papertrey Ink's newest demo prodded me to test watercolor effects with stamping. This was the best result, worked on smooth Bristol. Spritzing  the tree stamp before printing gave the image a kind of mystery glow. So I moved the scene to night, using silver embossed snowflake images as resist  for night sky watercolor layer. At the center,  JOY and the wee feather stamps, from Papertrey. The tree image is from Indigoblu. And of course, a deer, standing in the snow.

Working BIG - Art with the Elderly

A facility where I teach is adding a new wing. The activities director decided there should be ART on the temporary walls. My Assisted Living class got one panel. So with short notice, on the fly, I drew flowers and dogwood blossoms, to create two work levels for my students. Most are in wheel chairs.

First brush strokes

The aides seated the class in a semi-circle. 

The effect was so relaxed: art as in-the-moment miracle, one you could relax and observe.

Painting together

The mural took three one-hour sessions to finish.

Two artists, side by side

What made it so fun? No one was totally responsible, for starters. Fine motor skills no longer mattered. Big marks were easier to see with older eyes. But I think it was also the thrill of the forbidden - how many of us long ago were told never to draw on the walls?

Our panel's on the left. Two more panels, center and right.

 In between sessions I filled in the big areas. Sky first, greens last. 

Finished!

 In another week or so, the sheet rock, and the paintings, come down. 

Someday, though,I'm painting on my own house walls.

ArtBeat 2016

Get ready, Davis Square!

 

Sommerville's ARTBEAT happens today. 

Two stages, 70+ vendors, and a "toddler rave."

How can you resist?

Put on your sunscreen and stroll on down. 

Food, music, and vendors

waiting to show you a good time. 

My friend and studio pal Arlette Laan will be there with her delightful dolls:

Sock dolls to love.

 Easy, car-free access via the Red Line and the bike path.

Support the arts.

Show up.

Enjoy. 

And maybe buy something.

Your support keeps artists keep going.

Supply Sale

This August Lowell Fiber Studio joins the artists of Western Avenue Studios for a building-wide 

ARTISTS' DE-STASH SALE

Imagine: Five floors of artists, 

letting go of supplies. 

Paints, trim, paper, yarn, fabric. 

You name it, it will probably be here  on August 6. 

Come to Studio 512 to grab thermofax screens at bargain prices

Gently used and brand new. Text, florals, images, and texture. 

Jump start a new project. 

Share ideas.

The Great Artists' De-Stash is part of  

Western Avenue Studios Open Studios 

August 6, 2016

122 Western Avenue, Lowell, MA

Noon-5

Free parking

Food Truck 

 Start on the fifth floor!