An Award!

Tracy Kaufman...http://tracykaufman.blogspot.com/ Kindly awarded me this honorable award. Thank you ms Tracy!

The wording for this award is as follows . . .
The Karma Award: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.
I am to deliver this award to eight blogger, that is where it becomes difficult. I have found so many bloggers that have inspired me so this is the difficult part, yet one that is important so visitors who haven't heard of them might become familiar to their world.

In no particular order:

http://redfishartwork.blogspot.com/ Vickie

http://jkbeesartopia.blogspot.com/ Janet

http://distractedbydesign.blogspot.com/ Carmen

http://dneese.blogspot.com/ Grrl

http://lindart.blogspot.com/ Linda

http://lindavincent.blogspot.com/ Linda

http://gaalcreative.blogspot.com/ Anne

http://greenwomandesign.blogspot.com/ Mary

I encourage you to visit these blogs...I have listed a diverse group...their artwork alone is worth visiting but read about them too, they are so interesting to get to know.

Tracy, truly I feel honored with the context this award has been delivered to me. Thank you!

Rain & Wheat

Raining all day...the crops are happy but my wheat isn't..too much wet and it causes it to lay down. See how the hay in the foreground is laying over...the wheat up on the hill is doing the same thing.
If it doesn't stand back up..it can rot.




Here is an attempt to get back to painting. A journal page about droopy wheat.
I also did some letter practicing..not a lot the pen was picking at this paper..I didn't gesso and it makes a difference!

Having a good stand doesn't guarantee a decent crop. We were predicted a 60-80 bushel harvest which would have been nice.

Hopefully the sun will come out and it will stand back up and do it drying...another week and it should be ready to harvest. If it doesn't I suppose it will make some mighty nice hay for the cows.

At least something will eat!

...A Situation....

We had us a situation...

a cow situation...last evening.

Two momma and calf pairs escaped into the wrong pasture.

Possibly they are mmmoooooving to California.

They noticed Mabel had to fight that strong headwind during the Winter month, so planning for better weather they are leaving now!

The little girls want to break into films...they think they are a LOT cuter than the ones that were auditioning for that ..commercial..

Gone.....

At 10:15 am June 30th the windows left my studio
to travel to their new destination.

After educating the handlers how to pick them up
store them
and travel with them...
AND
to make 2 trips...!!

• they signed off
• they left
• they arrived safe (with number 1)
• they came back collected the second panel

and templates to take to the cabinet maker...
and after finally convincing them the panels were NOT needed at the cabinet makers

• they took them and placed them in a safe storage space...i hope

my babies are gone...

they will call me when they have been installed so i can get a final picture..

the studio is almost back to order (well as ordered as this studio gets)

so

• i am going to begin teaching sessions again..
• and working on the classes i have started for my own growth...
• back to business in other words

:)

Saturday @ 3:15 pm

This is IT...the second panel of the restoration project for the Hospital Chapel...YAY!!!

Monday I will deliver the two panels and they can begin their installation plans.
then I will go get a completed picture.

But,
For my part, I am DONE!!!!!!!!!

Probably my last restoration commission.

Fire...

In the sky!! Last night was the most lightening activity I have seen in a couple of years. The one picture here and I can't tell which one it is right this second...I think the middle one,
looks like the strike is echoing.




The storm was actually happening in Nebraska...which is directly South of us. Our place attracts storms and a lot of them start in our field and move off.






Storms are intense on the plains. I saw flashing under the shades,
eeearyyy looking flashes
and heard nothing, so I assumed there was a fire..panicked I ran to the door.

Of course lightening like this could start a fire if things were dryer. But since it is wet and green still
I could relax and just watch the amazing show...then too I needed to worry about a tornado, but it didn't 'feel' like that.



I have been busy finishing up this 2 panel restoration project, (story somewhere in past post)
very close to done! When I flip the panel today soldering side 2 and clean up...then delivery hopefully Monday.
Then
I can get back to my Layer Love lessons...Everyone I think is on the last lesson, I am still on lesson 5...but I will get caught up quick!

Thanks for stopping in... :)

Lady Bug Box

Finished the little feet box birth announcement.

The decorative effect on the solder is little lady bugs.

Aren't they cute!

the bevels added along the sides of a box allow light to enter and illuminate the lid.

Layer Lesson 4

Layer Love directed by Julia Prichard lesson 4 in gray tones and introducing crackle paste.

She used Tim Holtz crackle paste and that stuff looked a lot easier to produce good results than from what I used being the Golden crackle paste.

I had lot of problems with my crackle cracking. It has been determined (we think) that the paste had begun drying out as it sat on my shelf waiting to be tried.

I did the best I could with this lesson.

I am behind by 3 probably 4 lessons now so I done with this one.

Here is the example.

I learned that in using crackle the project must be immobile (so tape down the paper).

Should have a creamy consistency.

And crackle doesn't chalk flake.

I probably never would have experimented with the stuff so in doing the exercise I gained that practice.

yay!

Flipped..

See how cool the rock is now!...

i had to flip it over

the birds are on their own for a little bath.

i need to make one of those little doors for it...

a faery door!

the big metal jaw looking things

are called

tongs

when we worked the water...a bazillion years ago

these are what were on the boat that craig caught clams with

they dropped over the side

grabbed a chunk of bottom

raised up back onto the boat

opened on the culling board

where the clams were dug from the bottom catch and kept

then the rest was swept back overboard

and another grab made back up...open...back over

craig typically worked on 60 feet of water draw

and the tongs were set/dropped/back up every 30 seconds

fast work

needed to be alert...if the hydraulics messed up

you were looking at 300 pounds of metal trying to whack at you

it could hurt...

for inquiring minds...

:)

Been Doing Lots

First of all I want to show you the coolest rock! You can see it there in the center it holds water...for the birds but
it also looks like door turned the other way and i might put it that way...not sure yet, i found it walking through the trees looking for antlers.


Here I am setting up to stain glass for a birth announcement box.
Everything is ready.
Palette for grinding the glass and mixing up the stain
and glass substrate to make my marks.










Here the feet are applied and ready to fire in the kiln.









This is the piece I prepared to place the feet over to fuse to creating the desired ordered border...ladybugs.










Here is the finished top. a few bubbles appeared but they are kinda cute so i am thinking this is a keeper. Next i make the box part.

Layer Love Lesson3

Lesson 3 from Julie's Layer Love seminar took a lot of drying in between times. I think I got too dark...again. She called for a hot pink for contrast

that I didn't have

so I improvised with a purple...mmmhh I don't think it did it a lot of good.

We were after an old world page. I hit it on texture, I am not sure you can see but it is there. I can use it just the same and I enjoyed the process. The next lesson if I achieve the look, will be lovely...in gray...

This lesson I did on the acrylic paper again, which I am liking a bit more, I definitely like the size.

Invite!

Dakotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen, SD's curator, just got off the phone with me, with an invite to participate in a workshop they sponsor through a really cool place. The Grainery, located in rural Groton, SD.

The invitation extends to 4 artist to put forth a workshop to all of the invited high school artists for, a 2 day event.
What an HONOR!!

At the end of the event is a judged art show with the high school art work... they are given an experience of a "professional" show level event.

The workshops are to hopefully inspire the budding young artists to explore mediums they haven't been exposed to, such as 'glass'.

My workshops are only given an hour long so, I will be more of a lecture seminar experience than a hands on shop...and that was fine...so
hey
next April I am going to Groton!

Since i have never been, this should be something!!
Barring snow of course.
:)

Lesson Two

Top picture is the final outcome of the exercise.
The other image is a barley there glimpse of an image added as ephemera.
Lots of scratches throughout the MANY layers of paints and washes.
Great exercise.

This is done on gesso cardboard recycled from a box, (ie. pizza box, cookie box, cereal box...)

Layer Lesson One

The red page...and it is RED! I achieved lots of layers, lots of scratches...that I am not sure you can see but, they are there. Not sure I did the lesson according to plan...but I did gain some confidence in the lesson...so I achieved some of what i am after in the class... Julie is a terrific instructor, so don't let my results leave you with different opinion!



Believe it or not this is the same project different photo view.

Finished Sample

Here is the finished sample of the kaleidoscope. The standing example shows the layers possible for decorating. the laying example is the one for the class I will teach the children. A simple flat sleeve made from construction paper or something similar they can decorate easily.

I can't remember all the questions that have been asked of me for this project.

It is all constructed of paper, and plastic, no glass. Child safe!

I am teaching the construction so IF they choose they can adapt the lesson to stronger materials...brass tubing and mirrors for example, and construct a "true scope".

This one will work though.

The class will be given through the local library.

I am not sure about the cost yet.

I think $15.00 is a fair price per person though. It will be a 2 day class approximately 3 hours each session.

They supply the paper tube...I will provide the rest.

So, IF this sells...I will have a picture up of the projects they complete.

:)

Promo For Children's Class

I am building a cardboard kaleidoscope called a teleidoscope...it uses only mirrors and nothing at the end but the view to bounce around the inside.




Here is a close up view of the inside...it isn't much but you get the 'picture'.







This is a children's class promo...so far the basic structure is built..I plan to decorate in just 1 version there are too many ways to go into.
Basically my plan is to do an altered technique on the outside.
The construction itself is using a paper towel center plastic sheeting on white cardboard for the mirrors
and plastic wrap for ends..lots of masking tape to hold it all together.
Right now I have heavy glue over the masked endings to seal it all up fairly well and tomorrow I will begin altering.
Everything is kid safe...but will be adult gorgeous.
This much has taken me 2 hours..so, this much is a 3 hour version of the class.
I figure a week of class, 2 hours each visit.

New Class...

There is a new class beginning...Layer Love...a video promo is seen over on my side bar (with permission)
it might take a moment to load
because I could NOT get it to be part of my post!
However, I wanted to have it shown to all who visit
so they know about this interesting lady, Julia Prichard, teaching about her style of layering techniques...
she has a smattering of samples in the video as well as on her blog http://lostluggage.typepad.com/

I hope you go visit and see what all the excitement is about!

Lesson Done

If you scroll down to the last post you will see what the page looked like last week.
There is a bit of change...I think.
I am after a old Tuscany or stuccoed look. The page is rather rough...which is what I wanted so I achieved that.
Then, I didn't really want a lot happening with the page...keeping it simple.
So we don't 'miss' our opportunities.

In the other post you will see the door open...I had it shown here in this post, but I lost it and I am just too tired to mess with the electronics...
The transfer was interesting, using laminate paper, the images and finishing off with gold leaf...I used the real gold leaf but it called for the spray or pen.

I have steps at the bottom of my door...that picture was in here too, but disappeared...leading up to the door of "Opportunities".

All in all I had a great time with Sarah's class...worthy class to take!

Working on Last Lesson

Beginning with a rather cool transferring technique using laminate sheets the images...we made a collage then sealed the back with gold leaf. Other's used gold leaf pen...I couldn't find mine (no surprise) so I gold-leafed..for real. The small piece shows the back.




Part of the steps involved are cutting doors in our pages. The collage will peek through and the final doors will have closures...if I can find mine. these might not









Testing the peek through look.








My surface is finally looking like I want...I am after a old stucco kind of Italian villa look. I am not done, but I think I am getting there. This is what I worked on the last couple of days when I had a few minutes in-between jobs...which I am headed to now...have a great weekend!

Parting Gift

The gallery The Creamery, located in the town of Platte, SD is closing.

I have been a part of this gallery since its conception and worked with the owners, in store, for the last 4 years.

Sadly the current state of economic affairs is placing a strain on the amount of traffic through our little town.

We hugely, depend upon tourist.

The owners Marc and Dianne are met with the daunting decision to close the establishment and hopefully give another entrepreneur the chance to make something of the building.

This decision made, we are opening for a few weeks to allow for last minute sales and vendors clean out.

I made a little parting gift that I hope Marc and Dianne will fondly remember me.

A continuation of the building series can include the buildings that Marc and Dianne restored for our town.

The Creamery and sitting directly across the street is the Theater.

Marc totally gutted the building then restored her back to period, all its interior.

She boast a live stage where performances still take place and a theater screen for movies.

He updated to sound.

The Lyric Theater..original to our town and now still enjoying performances from traveling artists and current movie projections.

I need to work on my paintings not all looking the same...that said...the one picture shows the pictures I took of the street view angle i wanted to paint. Then a close snap of the view I gave the buildings in the painting...I was going for a vintage look of a snapshot taken looking down main street...then the painting as a whole.

Except that all my paintings kind of look the same...I hope you do enjoy the outcome of the piece. And I hope Marc and Dianne won't just place it in the closet.

I will miss the gallery...it was an interesting place to work, shop and meet other artist.