Category Archives: collage

Buried Treasure

July 23, 2009 By in art journal, cloth paper scissors, collage, creative workshops, laurie blau-marshall, mixed media, pam carriker, seth apter, somerset studios, stampington, the stampers sampler 29 Comments


March ’08

It’s finally here! My first work published in this months Cloth, Paper, Scissors. Laurie Blau-Marshall got to see it first and called me last night. She was a sweetie and scanned it for me and my issue arrived today. What a feeling opening a favorite magazine and seeing your work in there. I hope I will be able to work with them in the future. I love their publication and inspiring articles. Thanks for all of the happy dancing with me, this is a great start to an artistic 2008. Mine are the three collages on the bottom half of the page and the letter next to it.

Joining Seth Apter’s quest for ‘Buried Treasure’ gave me the opportunity to go back to the early posts of my then fledgling blog and recapture some very special moments. The most memorable and what I consider the start of a whole new venue in my art life, was the publication of my first work. Was it only a little over a year ago? It hardly seems so as so much has happened since. With the validation that came with this first little publication, I was encouraged to submit more work and the result is over a dozen articles and publications that have followed. I was even honored with a Guest Artist feature in The Stampers Sampler. And the most amazing thing, each time I find out something is going to be published I do that same little happy dance! Each time it makes me want to do more, to strive harder, to stretch my artists soul to that next level. I did not know I could write articles for magazines, I just knew I wanted to be fearless and try. I set goals for myself and did not let myself off the hook. When one goal was met, I added another. I think when you truly want something you will go after it. You will find your way. You will do things you never thought you could do.

February ’08

I just posted a new slide-show featuring pages from my first artistic journal. I officially finished it this week. No white spots left! It was a wonderful experience for me and I have learned not to be afraid of a blank page! It was intimidating to me at first. But I jumped in and just learned along the way. Now I am so excited to start my second one! This has been an valuable tool in trying out new techniques, documenting happenings in my home life, my artistic life, and just plain fun! I take it with me on airplanes, doctors appointments and school pick ups. It isn’t perfect, but that’s one thing I learned along the way, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE!!! I kept going back to pages and adding things which was really fun, but I am ready to move on to Book 2.

This first journal taught me so much and now I’m starting journal #13! When I submitted some pictures from the first one to Somerset, they contacted me about doing an article in the inaugural issue of Art Journaling. It was a little scary letting go of my first journal and allowing it to be used without my having control over it, but the end result was one of my favorite features and I am thrilled that they are even using more of that journal and some of a journal I did this year for the latest Art Journaling due out September ’09. Journaling is such a part of my art life, I don’t know what I did before I started. My views have totally changed about it. I am no longer striving to make ‘perfect’ pages, I am just enjoying the process of it and letting the pages unfold before me. I love it so much that I am sharing my passion in two online workshops, and still journal almost daily. If you haven’t added journaling to your art life, I would highly encourage it. I don’t look at it as yet another ‘thing’ to do, this is something I do for me. I share about it because I want people to know how truly do-able it is and how to fit it into your daily routine, making it a habit that has untold benefits.

So what are your buried treasures? Have you looked back from whence you came in awhile? How did you get to here? Art is a journey. It does not stand still, it is continually evolving and taking new directions. It is important to look back to fully appreciate the path we are on.

All My Eggs In One Basket

June 14, 2009 By in art, collage, eggs, etsy, melange, mixed media, nest, painting, zne 15 Comments

My grandma used to say ‘not to put all of my eggs in one basket’, but I couldn’t resist doing a couple more ‘Blue Speckled Egg’ pieces. My husband liked these and said that my color palette ties all of my work together. He said the next thing he knows I will have a line of art supplies, my own signature colors-lol! Thank you for the vote of confidence honey:-) I am really enjoying playing in a little different venue. I guess it’s not all that different, my first collages were somewhat along these lines, but now I am doing far more painting than collage work.

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New Work in Shop

May 12, 2009 By in art, brandie butcher-isley, collage, etsy, melange team, mixed media, pam carriker, portrait, zne 11 Comments

I just listed three new pieces in my etsy shop. Two of them are pieces I did while attending Brandie Butcher-Isley’s workshop at the ConvenZioNE. We hit it off right from the start and it was a joy to finally meet her in person. We are talking about collaborating on some future projects so stay tuned for that!

This 6×6 piece ‘Waiting to Fly‘was done on a premium artist panel, look for more of my work on this substrate as I am loving it. Such a different feel from canvas work.

This second piece ‘There Are Three’ also came out of that workshop and is dear to my heart as Mother’s Day was right around the corner and the inspiration behind this work. Remember that excitement when you first found out that you were to be a mother? Or a grandmother? So much anticipation and dreams for the future.
This third piece was inspired by friendship. It never ceases to amaze me how friends are always present when you need them most. Even the online friends, just with a few words can totally set the tone for your day. ‘Without Wings’ is about friendship and how much we need each other to get through the joys and the trials of life.
Thank you all of my friends, both those whom I have met, those whom I have known for years, and those who I may never meet but who bring a smile to my face just with their words.

Creative Workshops offers New Classes

April 6, 2009 By in art journaling, collage, creative workshops, digital grounds, golden, online workshop 3 Comments
Over at Creative Workshops Gail has added two new and exciting classes for your Muse! As always Creative Workshops wants to find ways to inspire your muse, to help you when you fall into a creative slump…and face it most of us do from time to time, and while it’s gotten to be a tired out adage, Creative Workshops offers ways for you to “think outside the box” when it comes to your artwork.

This is not a class about creating anything digitally through Photoshop or any photo editor. It’s about what you can now print on that you couldn’t print on before, because inkjet ink won’t adhere to many surfaces without going dull or faint or blurry. And too often inks will pool, run and smear easily. But not anymore!
The first class is one Gail Schmidt is offering and it is most definitely a class for those of you who want to take it up a notch! It’s titled Golden Digital Grounds – Expand Your Possibilities!Class starts May 11, 2009.

The second class is being offered by Nancy Lefko and is titled PAINTED FABRIC COLLAGE WORKSHOP . Nancy is mixing it up with patchwork, paint and collage…all on fabric. Now your Muse will have another take on working on fabric that maybe she hadn’t thought of before. Nancy has been receiving great feedback on her Mixed Media Backgrounds class so I know that this class will be just as fun and informative! Class begins May 25, 2009.
And as I already mentioned in a previous post, I am offering a second session of Visual Journalism 101 and Shades of Grey Moleskine Journaling is also open for registration. Come check us out!