edina tien

downsizing

2009-01-07T09:01:00.001-08:00

I've consolidated into one blog...please update your bookmarks and feeds: tongue in beak

happy holidays!

2008-12-24T15:22:00.001-08:00

new bag

2008-12-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a bag I sewed recently. I made a few modifications by dividing one of the inside pockets in two and adding a ribbon key fob.

pattern: Betty Shopper (large) by Amy Butler

fabrics: Bangle Dot and Mocca by Alexander Henry

another view - yes, it's a huge bag!

close-up of divided pocket

close up of ribbon key fob

please vote for me

2008-12-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

I entered a contest creating two spoofs of the phrase "Keep Calm and Carry On" (a saying used on posters in England during WWII) and both of mine got picked as finalists: "Drink Eggnog and Merry On" and "Squander Money and Ask For A Bailout"

I'd appreciate your votes if you have time to make a few clicks! You are allowed to choose two captions. Please vote here by Thursday.

Thanks and spread the word if you can!

fun freebies

2008-11-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

In this economy, we could all use a freebie now and then, right? Here are a few that I've come across lately that I thought I'd pass along:

vintageglam - a new-to-me blog that is fabulous and has goodies like fonts, clip art, etc.

obamabats - a fun Obama icon font

decor8 - (not a freebie but almost as good); I may have posted about this blog before but today she's got discount codes GALORE for some great businesses so check it out

distractions

2008-11-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

As evidenced by my sporadic appearances, I'm very easily distracted from posting on my blogs. I do hope to remedy that someday, but until then, here's a fun quiz I just took. These quizzes are my version of horoscopes...entertaining but nothing to take too seriously! :)

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Extroverted, Progressive, and Intelligent

18 Cubist, -13 Islamic, -10 Ukiyo-e, -8 Impressionist, 18 Abstract and -32 Renaissance!

Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It revolutionized European art and inspired changes in music and literature. The first branch of cubism, known as Analytic Cubism. It was both radical and influential as a short but highly significant art movement between 1908 and 1911 mainly in France. In its second phase, Synthetic Cubism, (using synthetic materials in the art) the movement spread and remained vital until around 1919.

People that chose Cubist paintings as their favorite art form tend to be very individualized people. They are more extroverted and less afraid of speaking their opinions then other people. They tend to be progressive and are very forward thinking. As the cubist painting is like looking into a shattered mirror where you can see different angles of the images, the people that prefer these paintings like looking at all angles of a problem. These people are intelligent and they are the transformers of our generation. They look beyond what is seen into what things could become. They are ready to leave the ideas of the past behind and look at what the future has to offer.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

please remember to

2008-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

junkmarket and facebook

2008-08-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up about a new blog (and revamped site) for fans of JunkMarket. Cool how-tos for vintage restyling and a flea market locator, too.

Also, I've finally given in to the dark side and joined Facebook so come find me if you're on there!

hello again!

2008-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Was that the longest hiatus ever between posts? It must be close. I've decided to start posting here again but will share mostly photographs since they are what I love most about other people's blogs.

Yesterday I received the new issue (#12) of Art & Life and was immediately taken by Teesha's article on the mini journal made with cardstock and scrapbook paper. It's not often that I read about a project and feel the urge to make it right away, but this one spoke to me (it probably helped that I had all the supplies readily available). Anyway, here is the starting point of my journal. I'll post more photos as it gets filled.

taking a break

2007-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to discontinue posting on this blog. With all the upheaval my life is undergoing, I really need an extended period away from the virtual world while my “real” world gets settled. If you’re interested in staying in touch, please email me either your email address or blog URL and I will be sure to email you or leave you a comment if I decide to resume or start a new blog. If this is goodbye, thanks for visiting and best wishes. Peace.

for sale: teesha moore workshops in gardena, ca

2007-07-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'm registered for both of Teesha Moore's classes this coming weekend in Gardena, CA and am unable to attend (more on that another time). My loss is someone else's gain...if you would like to take my place, please contact me at edina_tien@yahoo.com Here's the information for both classes (The Unbound Journal and Fabric Journal). Teesha is a great artist and human being and she doesn't teach very often so don't miss this chance - you won't regret it!

the coast is clear

2007-06-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

The big news I've been itching to share is that we're moving! Soon after we returned from staying with our families in N. CA, my husband started interviewing for a job in San Diego, was extended an offer, and accepted. We haven't been able to tell many people about any of this until he gave his notice today. The company my husband is moving to is a direct competitor of his current employer and he knew he would be asked to leave immediately after resigning.

To say the least, our lives have been a whirlwind these past few months and will only be getting crazier! We're off to San Diego tomorrow to look for a house and then I'm going to LA to take some classes from Teesha Moore. I'll have more to share when I return from both.

what do you really care about?

2007-06-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

I came across this cool blog recently and loved today's post and wanted to share it with you. I especially like what she says about always wanting more. I wish people could see how much they already have instead of focusing on what is missing. People who have few material things are often much happier than the financially wealthy, so what does that say about what is really important in life? Emotional connections...that's at the top of my list. How about you?

eye candy

2007-06-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

I love Amy Butler's fabrics and just saw that she has also created paper products. Even if you're not a scrapbooker (which I'm not either), I think these would be great for journaling and other mixed-media projects. I mean, how cute are those little purse stickers!

monday morning merriment

2007-06-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Some fun stuff as always on Michelle Ward's blog...cool damask packing tape find and Jane Austen heroine quizzes. Like I said last week, I'm a fool for these quizzes and took them both. I had no idea the Becoming Jane movie even existed and can't wait to see it!

Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!!created with QuizFarm.com

Take the Quiz here!

a photo to brighten your day

2007-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

peonies freshly cut from our garden

quiz me

2007-06-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I enjoy taking personality tests. If I see one in a magazine, I have to stop and take it. I don't take much stock in them, but they are fun diversions. As I was catching up on all my blog reading last week, I saw this post. I checked out the website and ended up taking a different quiz, What Breed of Dog Are You? (after all, I was born in the Year of the Dog) and here's what it determined:

Edina, you're a Golden Retriever!

No bones about it, you're a popular, fun-loving Golden Retriever. Adored by all and too cool for school, you're extroverted and enthusiastic. Your magnetic personality makes you the life of any bash. Since you're a true people-dog, you genuinely love all kinds of social gatherings. Going to parties, dinners, and other shindigs is the best way to add faces to your constantly growing circle of friends. But besides being on the social A-list, you're a confident, well-rounded pup who's definitely something to bark about. Pretty accomplished at anything you set your mind to, your sunny nature and winning ways make you one of everyone's favorite dogs. Woof!

I thought it was funny since we have two Golden Retrievers. That's them in the photo above. We got Ruby (right) as a puppy and Max (left) from a GR rescue.

save the elephants'...poo

2007-06-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this company that makes elephant dung into paper products. I'm trying to imagine the person who came up with this idea, attempting to pitch the concept to other people. Must have been an interesting meeting. It is a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle though!

waiting to exhale

2007-06-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Even though I've added Blogging Without Obligation to my list of good things (see right sidebar), I'm going to apologize anyway for not checking in sooner. My life is being turned upside down yet again, but I'm not at liberty to talk about it for awhile longer. Don't worry, it's nothing bad...I'll share more when I can. And thanks for continuing to visit even though my posts have been so few and far between lately!

a sad day

2007-05-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law passed away last night. I feel so many mixed emotions. Disbelief, melancholy, but at times, relief because he was in a lot of physical pain the last few days. I worry about the family...they were all pretty close and the father was really a patriarchal figure. I know they will probably be OK but it's a big wound that will be difficult to heal.

stop the world...i want to get off

2007-04-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to keep whining since I know I really have nothing to complain about but I'm going to share what's been going on just to get it all out of my head. It's been a surreal roller coaster of emotions ever since we came down to CA last weekend.

My sister-in-law got married this past Tuesday (wedding originally scheduled for August but changed due to her father's prognosis) and it was a small, lovely ceremony which my FIL managed to stand through, refusing the wheelchair. He also made it through the dinner even with his incredible exhaustion. I'm sure they were feeling the worst extremes of joy and devastation throughout the evening but father and daughter did wonderfully. FIL has good and bad days but hasn't been able to keep food down for some time now. It's really hard given the importance food has on the Chinese culture and especially in their family. One of the most insidious aspects of the cancer has been how rapidly it has deteriorated FIL's health - it's just unreal.

The medical issues of my own mother morphed into a more worrisome situation. Her kidney tumor, though benign, is too large to leave unchecked so she had to decide whether to have it removed along with the kidney (nephrectomy), or to have an embolization done to cut off the tumor's blood supply, which is not as effective but would preserve the kidney. Normally, a person can live with only one kidney but there seems to be another small tumor on the other kidney so it's more of a risk to have the nephrectomy. Also found out yesterday that chemotherapy is not an option for someone with one kidney so anyone who has a history of cancer should try to save both kidneys in the event there is a recurrence and need for chemo treatment. Clearly the embolization is the better choice for her but it's hard to pick the procedure that may not work. The lump in her upper chest will also be removed soon and studied carefully to be sure it's not a spread of cancer since she had similar tumor cells removed from elsewhere a few years ago.

Can I just say how much I HATE the words tumor and cancer. They are odious thieves of life and happiness for both the people who suffer with them and those who care. I wish so badly that I could time travel so we could all have our lives back - is that too much to ask?

artfest photos

2007-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a selection of my photos from ArtFest...

Funky Wallpaper People taught by Anahata Katkin - about 80% complete

Misty Mawn teaching A Greater Perspective

one of my wood boards - 90% complete

my friend Lisa's triptych, in progress

Judy Wise, a fun and very talented artist, holding up one of her boards

artists + paint + no sleep = fun!

distractions

2007-04-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've been needing a break from what I've been calling my "bubble of despair" so I spent some time today getting my ArtFest pics ready to share. Of course this happens right as Blogger is doing maintenance and won't let me upload any photos. I will post pics of my creations along with a few others tomorrow (or whenever the function comes back up again). In the meantime, visit my Flickr album here to see some of the phenomenal artwork made by fellow students. I tried to take photos of everyone's work but my apologies to those didn't make it into the album because I missed or because of poor picture quality.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the two great teachers I had at ArtFest, Anahata Katkin and Misty Mawn! Both were warm, generous, and uber-talented, and their classes were relaxing and fun. As I mentioned before, unfortunately, I had to leave early and missed my third class with Anne Bagby, but thanks to kind friends Renee, Suzanne, and Paula who were nice enough to pick up my kit and share class notes with me, I might be able to learn a few of Anne's techniques after all.

thank you

2007-04-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who have left and sent such thoughtful and supportive comments and emails - they mean more to me than I can put into words. I wish I could personally reply to each of you but just can't right now...

We were hoping for the best but expecting the worst and unfortunately, it's the latter. The prognosis from my FIL's oncologist is 3 months. My husband and I intended to drive down to CA for an extended period starting this Thursday but flew back last Thursday and Friday when FIL was rushed to the ER again. He was stabilized and released and is now receiving hospice care at home. We had another scare that day because MIL was also hospitalized when an ER nurse saw her clutching at her chest and worried she might be having heart problems. She seems to be OK now but will be getting that checked out.

It goes without saying that it has been an incredibly difficult time for FIL and family. I'm still trying to find my way with how I can offer my support to all of them and my husband who is now telecommuting from there, along with having to help care for his father. I have returned home for a few days to pack and prepare for us to be gone for at least a few weeks. Hubby is flying back Friday so we can drive back down together this weekend.

Spending extended time with both of our families in the Bay Area turns out to be a timely move because last week I also received a frantic call from my father that my mother found a lump a few inches down from her collar bone and possibly something suspicious on a lung and a kidney. She had and recovered from breast cancer about 10 years ago so we were concerned it might be a recurrence. After going over the initial test results in detail with a relative who is a radiation oncologist, we were relieved that everything they found was probably nothing to worry about, though my mom will be having surgery in a few weeks to have the lump removed.

Every time the phone rings, my heart sinks that it will bad news about FIL or someone else in my life. As I clean and pack, I spend a lot of time thinking about what really matters. Lately, I have been feeling ambivalent about the activities that I have always enjoyed - thinking that they aren't so important compared to spending time with friends and family but also not wanting to do away with these small pleasures in life. I have to figure out how to be at a standstill and on a racetrack at the same time.

bittersweet

2007-04-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time the few days I spent at ArtFest but cut my trip short after learning that my father-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His final prognosis will be determined by more tests he will undergo this week. We are all just stunned and still trying to absorb this terrible news. I will post and respond to comments whenever I can - thanks for your support and understanding.

oh my...

2007-03-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

I'm very sorry I have been so remiss about posting...been busy getting ready for ArtFest amongst other things. Thought I'd pop in to let you know I haven't fallen off the planet and will have lots of cool things to share when I return next week. Stay tuned!

cyberspace detours

2007-03-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Can't remember what I was originally looking up of course, but while doing a web search I stumbled upon this blog where I discovered these wonderful artists that I thought were worth sharing:

Le Jardin de Miss Clara

Maggie Taylor

pet food recall

2007-03-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already heard, please check out this site for details about the dog and cat food recall. I saw on the news that several pets have already died from consuming these products and noticed two popular name-brands on the list: Iams and Eukanuba

yellow green collage

2007-03-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Just finished this collage for another swap, again hosted by The Creative Underground, called Crayola Color Cache. The collage will be reduced and made into small color copies and be wrapped around our assigned crayon, so we'll get back a box of Crayolas with mini collages attached to each corresponding color. They come up with such creative swap ideas!

ADDENDUM 3/22/07 - We had to provide a short blurb about the inspiration/design process for our collages which I just wrote today, so I thought I'd add that here...

After I signed up for this swap, I dug through my box of Crayolas so I could see what Yellow Green really looked like - not only the crayon itself, but also when colored on paper. It reminded me of one of my favorite colors of Golden brand acrylic paint, Green Gold, so I used that as the starting point for my collage. Then I started layering, going back and forth between mark-making tools (paint, watercolor crayons, colored pencils, paint pens, vine charcoal) and other elements (ephemera, rubber stamped images, gel medium transfers of text from old books). The phrase was composed from words out of an old book that I thought fit with the image of the man and woman. I liked the contrast of the pink in the fabric draped over the woman’s chair, so I added the postage stamp and paper flowers to encourage movement of the viewer’s eye.

some freebies

2007-03-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to some free vintage and other St. Pat's image downloads from Lisa Vollrath. She does ask that you post the link to your blog or other online art group/message board this time (different than in the past). Enjoy!

new-to-me blog and artist

2007-03-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today...discovered this cool blog which led me to the work of this artist. I love those butterflies!!

home sweet home

2007-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here are two of my fabric ATCs for a swap entitled Home Sweet Home. Hostess Tracie Lyn will be assembling everyone's ATCs into house-shaped wall hangings, each with three windows and a door along with a roof that she will be providing - way cool!

art for a cause

2007-03-06T00:02:00.000-08:00

Please check out these three wonderful fatbooks being auctioned off by Maija - all proceeds will benefit Bernie Berlin's A Place to Bark animal rescue.

Book One

Book Two

Book Three

textile temptations

2007-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

One last thing before the weekend: I love perusing this yarn store's website, and now they offer a lovely selection of fabrics. Take a look at these yummy designs ($35 a yard!!)

artella article

2007-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to be interviewed for Artella's online creativity newspaper, The Daily Muse. Someone on their staff came across my blog and was interested in having me as a Featured Artist. I was flattered to be asked and am tickled that my interview is scheduled to be published next Thursday, March 8. You can check out the front page blurb that day by bookmarking this link or sign up for a free two-day subscription or a $3 monthly subscription to read the full article. I'm also supposed to get a copy to put on my blog so will try to do that, too.

Have an artfully splendid weekend!

heart to heart charm swap

2007-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here are the front and back of another set of soldered charms I just finished. These were made for a Creative Underground charm bracelet swap. It's hard to see in the photo but the image is of an angel "smithing" a heart.

got plastered

2007-02-19T18:01:00.001-08:00

Here are photos from the amazing Stephanie Lee workshops I attended. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend taking a class from her - she is warm, down-to-earth, generous, and talented. The first class was called Totally Plastered, and we learned all about creating plaster effects on flat surfaces. Below is the board that I started that day. It's definitely not finished, and I may just leave it as a practice piece.

The second class was Plaster Architecture. I started and will continue working on the two shapes you see below. Hopefully, you can tell that one is a bird; the other is a cupcake which will eventually be more obvious. Also pictured are the two wonderful pieces of Stephanie's artwork that I purchased.

great weekend

2007-02-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

Just got done with a weekend of fabulous classes taught by Stephanie Lee who I highly recommend as a teacher! She imparted a ton of information about working with plaster and I'm still reeling from all that I learned. Will have photos and more tomorrow after a good night's sleep!

happy lunar new year!

2007-02-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

2007: Year of the Pig

I'm not a big believer in horoscopes/astrology but sometimes they're fun to read anyway. According to one website:

Those born in pig years tend to have excellent manners, make and keep friends, work very hard, and appreciate luxury. They are very loving and make loyal partners.

face and navel-gazing

2007-02-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

In drawing class, we have been working on self-portraits for the past week and have to turn in another one on Monday. I have been working on mine for the last several hours and need to take a break from looking at myself in the mirror!

On a sort of related topic...yesterday, hubby showed me a PC Magazine article (March 6, 2007 issue) about a market research firm forecasting a peak and drop off of the popularity of blogs. The number of active blogs as of last month was around 63 million. They predict the number will top off at 100 million in 2007 and then decrease and level off at around 30 million. That firm's analyst said that blogging is now in the hype phase, but eventually bloggers and readers will pass into a "trough of disillusionment, where they'll realize that blogging isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread." Others disagree with the prediction and say that blogs are "still the domain of the early adopters."

Occasionally, I think I'm headed into that trough, especially when I get tired of the self-examination and feel like there's just not enough time to live interesting stories and also write about them (and on top of that, reading everyone else's!) And sometimes I wonder if my presence in the "blogosphere" is really that compelling to more than a few people.

What do you think? Take the poll...

happy valentine's day

2007-02-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

And thanks to my honey for this beautiful box of my favorite and the best chocolate in the world! Hope you all have a wonderful day.

my artfest fabric fatbook pages

2007-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

swap-a-licious

2007-02-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

My Divine Definitions swap arrived in the mail today (the one in which I made the little soldered lightbulb dangly). Check out the spectacular tin and treasures I received! Pardon the one giant photo but I wanted you to be able to see the details. I wish you could hold these in your hands and admire them up close because the photos really don't do them justice!

whew!

2007-01-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Just finished my last written exam for my drawing class. Now that those are done and I have no more textbook reading to do - the rest of the quarter will be all drawing, thank goodness - I hope to be a bettter blogger, both posting and reading, and to catch up on email. I'm sooooo backlogged on everything in life, it's ridiculous. But I do have to share this one new-to-me discovery. Darn that Amazon suggestions feature...here's what it presented to me after I put something on my wish list: Marie Claire Ideés. After reading the reviews, I decided I had to have it, so I went directly to the magazine's website and subscribed since some reviewers complained about ordering through Amazon. My French is pretty rusty so hopefully I input all my info correctly. Then I decided I wanted the December issue because the photos on the website were just too enticing. I did some calling around and found a local store (a cigar shop of all places!) that carried it. Here are a few yummy pages - if I read it correctly, the cute bags are ones that readers made and sent in for some kind of contest and fundraiser for a medical charity. There were ten pages of those bags so these are only a small selection.

free cookbook and a good cause

2007-01-31T01:18:00.000-08:00

Barilla is offering a little pdf Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook and is donating $1 to America's Second Harvest with each download. They've probably already surpassed the $100,000 by now but it looks like some good recipes and is guest edited by Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentis. Buon Appetito!

more charms

2007-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the charms I got back from one of the swaps I participated in. What a wonderful variety - I love the uniqueness of each one!

change is good

2007-01-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

I was getting tired of that winter blog template, especially now that the sun has returned. Please let me know if you have any problems viewing this new format - I've been learning a lot lately about how different web browsers "see" things differently and the things you can do to overcome that.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at a spinning class. No, not the kind you would go to at a gym, but the kind you would go to at a yarn store! It was a lot of fun and I might have found a new addiction (just what I need...more stuff to acquire). I'll post more about this along with photos over on my knit blog in the next few days so bookmark this site if you're interested.

On a different note, I've been enrolled in a drawing class at our local community college for the last few weeks which has kept me very busy and filled me with a lot of self-doubt about my artistic abilities. I feel like this drawing class is harder than any biochemistry class I ever had in college - how could that be?! I'm glad I decided to push myself even though I will probably never be very proficient at drawing. I think I needed this change in my life for reasons that will become more apparent later. And I'll let you know if I figure that out!

so sorry about the pop-up ads

2007-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

I removed the tag board for now until I can get the upgraded version with no ads. Thanks!

seems like a lifetime ago...

2007-01-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

waaaay back in November when I mentioned the Divine Definitions swap I participated in. Well, it looks like they have finally been sent back out, so I'm going ahead and showing you what I made. I soldered jump rings to mini light bulbs then attached eyelash yarn, glittery stars, metal beads, and soldered charms made from two glass pebbles sandwiched together. On one side is my chosen word, "illuminate," and on the other, a brief definition, "to light up; shed light on; enlighten." I can't wait to see all the other swappers' creations and will share them with you when they arrive.

tag board

2007-01-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to add the message board on the left so you can ask me questions (or just chat). This way you'll be able to see my responses more readily instead of via email or comments. Blogger doesn't allow me to directly email people who leave comments, and there's no way to reply to people who leave them anonymously. So feel free to use this new feature if you like...just type in your info and message and then click on TAG.

four inches of snow and counting

2007-01-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Brrr! At least our silly dogs are enjoying themselves...

wishing you a peaceful day

2007-01-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, we visited friends who were living in Atlanta, GA at the time - one of the places we went sightseeing was the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site. They handed out these cards which I still keep posted in my studio and thought I'd share it with you today as our country celebrates this day of remembrance. The only thing I would change to the pledge is to add the phrase "and all living beings" after the word "people" - let's not forget to care for all the plants and animals that sustain our planet and humanity.

messy people unite!

2007-01-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yet another book for me to add to my long list of must reads. Click on book cover for more info.

winter wonderland

2007-01-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

a little late for a white christmas but beautiful just the same

No time to post much right now, but as promised, here are photos of the charms I've been madly working on...

latest collage

2007-01-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

How is the new year going for everyone? I've been pretty productive considering I've been sick for the last several days (that's two nasty colds within a month - ugh!) I finished adding the duplicate stitch to a knitted bag which will be felted. You can see a photo of that on my knit blog here. I also started making 36 charms for a swap hosted by Diane Downs. Lastly, I made the above collage which will be made into 8 charms for another swap hosted by Romona Ashman for ArtFest. I'll have photos of those next week.

time flies

2006-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to you for a very happy 2007!

viva las vegas!

2006-12-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't think Vegas would be a popular place to go for Christmas but it was packed!! I've heard the Strip described as a Disneyland for adults - I can definitely attest to standing in many Disneyland-style lines!

We had a good time doing a little of everything...visiting the newer hotels, eating, shopping, and a little gambling (since we ended up in the black, I can say that it was fun - it would be a different story if we hadn't!) We also watched some terrific shows. First, we saw LOVE which is a Cirque du Soleil show based on the Beatles' music. Though not a traditional Cirque show of acrobatics and feats of strength, it was still an amazing production with outstanding costumes and creative energy. Every vignette did a great job of bringing to life the Beatles' songs and the different historical eras in which they existed. Highly recommended, and a must-see if you're a Beatles fan. Next was Mamma Mia, a musical based on ABBA songs. Although the plot was simple, it was fun and I was impressed with how they were able to work in so many songs and make them flow naturally as part of the story. Again, highly recommended if you're an ABBA fan. Last, we saw Jerry Seinfeld who was fabulously funny as usual. I only wish the show could have been longer, though I'm sure it's exhausting enough for him to talk nonstop for an hour. The comedian who opened, Tom Papa, was also very good.

We did some window shopping in the various malls and shopping arcades. If you're into luxury name brands, Vegas is a great place to visit because so many of the stores are conveniently located together. One of my favorites was Hermès (to look at, not to buy!) - the quality of their merchandise is phenomenal. Here are some of their holiday window displays.

We also enjoyed lots of great food. Here's the foot-high sandwich my brother is about to dig into from Carnegie Deli (and no, he did not finish it) :

Other random photos:

inside Bellagio hotel

views from and of Bellagio

Paris hotel across from Bellagio

the Mirage's "volcanic eruption" display

canal inside the Venetian

my brother reading up on how to beat the house

Thanks for putting up with my vacation photos and stories - I'll stop here to keep from boring you any longer! Read on for the rest of the 12 days gifts...

12 days swap finale - boo hoo!

2006-12-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

This has been an incredible 12 days of Christmas gift exchange and I'm a little sad that it had to come to an end...wouldn't it be wonderful to open up gifts like these each and every morning?!

Bonus gift #13: a fantastic altered tin made by Maija Lepore

Day 12: a terrific altered pocket calendar made by Lelainia Lloyd

Day 11: Kelly Snelling made a phenomenal handbound
blank book with her artwork and handwritten literary
passages scattered throughout the pages

Day 10: an amazing tag book (each page individually decorated!)
made by Laura Duet

Day 9: a very cool brass stencil necklace made by Crystal Neubauer

happy holidays!

2006-12-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

We're off to Vegas for a few days. I know it's an odd choice but my parents insisted on a family vacation this year, and Vegas is a short enough flight that we can drop off and pick up the dogs on our travel days and shorten their stay at the kennel. None of us really gamble so our focus will be on hanging out with each other, eating good food, and watching great shows. The last time hubby and I visited Vegas was about 8 years ago, so I'm sure we'll also check out all the over-the-top hotels that have been built since then...I think New York-New York was the newest hotel when we were there!

I'll be back next week to share the rest of the 12 days gift swap and some other projects in the works. Until then, may you and your loved ones share a joyous holiday together!

more goodies

2006-12-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Above are photos of the très magnifique gift I received from Diane Downs at the PAC holiday party. She covered an old wine container with French-themed papers and filled it with lots of yummy goodies including game pieces, brass stencils, wood printer's blocks, and original French vintage papers and postcards. I also love the keys, tags, and soldered charm that she made to hang from the handle. Thanks again, Diane!

Below are photos of the charms that I made for Maggie Kolkena as part of her present. This year we drew names and provided wish lists. Lucky for me, Maggie said one of the things she has been coveting lately are Sally Jean-type charms. Don't know if you can see the collage on the bigger one, but it says "duct tape FAIRY" since Maggie had taught this class at Art and Soul a few months ago. The smaller "fly" and "soar" charm has a little bird charm dangling from it.

catching up on the 12 days gift swap

2006-12-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful to be a part of this swap with such talented artists. Here are the awesome gifts I received on Days 2 through 8.

Day 8: a fabulous altered CD dangly made by Liz Smith

Day 7: a lovely booklace made by Penelope Harris

Day 6: a breathtaking beewax collage made by Katie Kendrick

Day 5: a gorgeous necklace made by Kristen Robinson

Day 4: a beautiful notebook made by Deb Lewis

Day 3: my canvas collage

Day 2: a wonderful soldered pendant made by Amy Huff

And actually on our assigned day, we got to open a bonus present because we have 13 people in our group. So I opened the fantastic gift made by Maija Lepore on Day 3 but won't post a photo until everyone else gets a chance to open theirs.

just a quick note

2006-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for your emails and comments of concern and well wishes. I'm actually feeling much better than I thought I would be. My biggest worry right now is my back. I think I need to find a chiropractor to get an adjustment, so if anyone in the Portland/Vancouver area has a recommendation, I would much appreciate it. Thanks again for your concern - it really means a lot to me! :)

turn & look before you shift into reverse!

2006-12-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

As I was walking into the grocery store this afternoon, a woman backed her car into me and knocked me down. She claimed that she was "avoiding" another car backing up into her but I think she was actually jonesing for a space in a pretty full parking lot. Fortunately, she wasn't going too fast and stopped short of running me over. I'm mostly just badly bruised with some sprains and strains here and there. I spent the better part of the evening in the ER for an exam and x-rays and was relieved that nothing was broken. I'm feeling quite battered though and can already feel my body won't be up for much in the next few days. I have lots to share but it will have to wait. I did want to pop in for a quick hello while I'm still able to since I promised to announce the winner of the zine giveaway. Thanks for all your entries - I decided to add the ones that were emailed to me into the comments section, so be sure to go there to read all the terrific interesting words that everyone submitted. I threw everyone's names into a hat and drew...

ALEX S.!!!

Congratulations Alex, please email me your snail mail address when you have a chance. Thanks again to everyone who played. I had planned to have another drawing this week but I think with my latest setback and the holidays approaching, I'll start again in January. Please check back then - I've got lots of cool things to give away.

And now I'm off to rest my aching body...

free zine giveaway

2006-12-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

Don't forget I'm giving away a new copy of Randi Watt's Self-Portraits zine - it's one with a cover that is no longer in print so if you don't have it, now's your chance. To enter, scroll down to my post on December 7 or click here and submit a comment with your six interesting words. I'll be randomly drawing a name tomorrow evening and will post the winner's name on Friday. Bonne chance!

addendum: I'm getting emails from people who are having trouble with leaving a comment. That's fine - I'll be sure to enter you in the drawing and post your words tomorrow.

on the first day of christmas...

2006-12-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

I got to open this wonderfully crafted gift from Shari - aren't they lovely? I decided to hang them on a wire dress form so I could photograph them. Shari did a great job wirewrapping the earrings and the beads are just gorgeous; I'm sorry my camera is not able to do them justice. I'm in Group One so check out Group Two's gifts on the blog here.

woo hoo - the usps comes through after all

2006-12-13T00:55:00.001-08:00

I finally received my Hot Flashes From the Kitchen apron/recipe book after it was sent three weeks ago - yippee! The Priority Mail envelope had opened up on one side and arrived with a rubber band holding it together, but luckily, the book arrived no worse for the wear. Below are a few select photos. All the artwork is great and the recipes look delish - I can't wait to try them out.

a selection of apron pages

2006-12-13T00:44:00.000-08:00

front cover by Sarah Fishburn

Susan Goodell/Celine Navarro

Kathy Strittmater/Christi Wich

Kris Henderson/me

one more day!!

2006-12-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

The present-opening begins tomorrow for The Twelve Days of Christmas gift swap. Here are mine, overflowing from an antique wooden box. Can't wait to reveal the first one - I may have to start at midnight tonight!

wondrous white

2006-12-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the gorgeous shrine that I received in the Alphabetica swap. A wonderful job done by Sandra. It took 2 months to arrive from Germany (talk about snail mail) and was worth the wait!

giveaway!

2006-12-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

In the latest Art & Life (Issue #6), Teesha posed questions to different artists featuring the number six. One of them was six interesting words. Being a big fan of words, language, and reading, I thought that was a great question and wondered what your list would include. To make it fun, I'm going to have a little drawing for a copy of Randi Feuerhelm-Watts' Self-Portraits Zine.

Leave your list of six words in a comment and come back next week to see who won (names will be drawn at random). No need to leave any personal info - the winner can privately email me their snail mail address.

There are so many great words, it's hard to have to choose, but here are the six that I picked today:

1. concomitant - don't know why, but this word has been stuck in my head for 20 years (since studying vocabulary for the SAT in high school)!!

2. onomatopoeia - such a poetic word and great when spoken aloud

3. quality - many meanings and loaded with possibilities

4. obsession - again, a loaded word

5. tchotchke - another fun one to say out loud

6. karma - I couldn't decide between this one and kismet

Tell us what words come to your mind...

anyone else having trouble with the post office?

2006-12-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Priority Mail packages are going missing, originating from different parts of the U.S. (no, unfortunately, none have delivery confirmation so the senders can't track them). What's the deal - do they just throw out the ones that don't have a tracking number? Can anyone enlighten me? The only upside to this is knowing that I did the right thing getting delivery confirmation for the packages I've sent out over the years! Maybe it's time to switch to UPS...

clarification...the above was not a statement about the mail in general, just packages for art swaps I happen to be participating in! :)

treasure your loved ones

2006-12-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

~snow falling on ruby~

Our week-long road trip to the Bay Area was a busy one - there were literally no spare moments to be had. This year, since my sister-in-law just got engaged, we also went to her finace's family celebration which resulted in us attending two Thanksgiving meals within 3 hours of each other. Boy, did we eat well! It was a nice trip made even more meaningful after my next story...

As soon as we returned, I came down with a nasty cold. This happens to either or both me and my hubby after almost all of our CA trips because there's always someone who has a flu or cold and spreads it around during our holiday gatherings. Usually we are very grumpy about it (cuz really, who enjoys being sick?), but this time it was a blessing in disguise. For the several days I vegged out on the couch, I spent lots of extra time petting our two Goldens and discovered a lump on my sweet Boo (short for one of her nicknames, Ruby Booby Boo). We took her to the vet today and had a biopsy done. Very fortunately it was diagnosed as a lipoma or benign fat tumor, but we have to watch it closely because of its location. If it grows too large, it may interfere with her walking. Also, the vet told us to keep track of it because other kinds of cancerous tumors could develop underneath it.

The thought of losing Ruby so soon - she just turned five last week - has been rough. I'm so glad the lump was not cancer, but the scare reinforced in me the fact that neither she nor any of those we love, care about, and who make a difference in our lives will be around forever. It's been a great reminder not to take any of them for granted.

diet? what diet?

2006-11-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week as we get ready to go out of town to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving. Since the deadline is during our trip, I spent a lot of time finishing another swap hosted by The Creative Underground called Divine Definitions: An Artistic Vessel of Inspiration and Enlightenment. Isn't that a fabulous name for a swap? We each had to pick a word and make things to embody that word. The hostess plans to create for each of us a decorated container in which to house all our new treasures, and I can't wait to see it. Unfortunately, I can't post a photo of my own creations until after the swap is complete, since they want it to be a surprise when everyone opens their package.

So instead I offer you this box of cookies I got at Trader Joe's yesterday...sooooo yummy and they don't have any trans fats in them (too bad they're not low-fat also). They're a limited edition for the holiday season, so if you have a store in your neighborhood and you're a mint and chocolate lover like me, don't miss 'em!

shrine and soldering

2006-11-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Whew! Been working on this shrine for what seems like forever. Finally finished today and am glad to send it off to its new home. The theme was Alphabetica and meant to honor the alphabet, a letter, or word in whatever way each participant wanted. I chose the letter "P" which had many possibilities (groan, I know). After waffling back and forth on several words to put in the shrine, I opted for the single letter which is also my recipient's initial. Then I decided to make the pendant and chose the word "play" which seemed to fit the image of the two girls.

As you can see, the pendant is very Sally Jean-esque. More so than I intended, but oh well. I finally got her book recently, and even though several blogs have already mentioned it, I've been wanting to offer my two cents. I LOVE the projects that are featured in the book and thought it was extremely gracious and generous of Sally to provide so many, especially since she teaches several in her classes. I highly recommend the book for all of its beautiful eye candy and creative ideas, including a fun way to make collages. My only caveat is for people who have never picked up a soldering iron before - you will need to refer to a friend, class, or some other book for the fundamentals including detailed supplies, step-by-step instructions, and safety considerations. That last one is especially important because you're dealing with chemicals, fumes, and extremely hot tools. But once you've got the basics down, you will be off and running with Sally Jean's book!

On a related subject, I recently made a purchase from an online company called I.S.G.S. and was very pleased with their prices and customer service (which is so rare these days). I've had a few people ask me where to get soldering supplies and this is my new favorite. I've ordered from other places before but this one happened to have everything that I needed this time around and is on the West Coast which made the shipment much faster than usual. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer. If you ever order from them, let me know if things go well for you, too.

please join us

2006-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Remember the Portals Fatbook I mentioned a few days ago? We need a few more players to make the book nice and fat! Please go to either Joleen's blog or the Portals Zine blog for more information about this fatbook and how to sign up (go to the post on October 8 for either blog and click on the photo to enlarge). The new due date is January 13, 2007 so there's plenty of time for you to participate. Hope you can join us for this fun collaborative project!

charity auction

2006-11-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

Please check out this ATC "book" which is up for eBay auction benefiting the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation. I'm not the one hosting the auction, but I was part of the swap that took place earlier this year - that's my silver ATC in the lower right corner (the "envision" one with the eye inside the heart). Although I'm not normally a fan of people selling ATCs, I'm OK with it if it's for charity. Even if you're not interested, please spread the word for a good cause. Thanks!

surf's up

2006-11-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

OK, instead of being good and getting back to work, I started blog surfing and came across the coolest video via Anahata Katkin's blog. Of course this led me to more videos, and I just had to share another one by the same group of Japanese artists: click here

portals page

2006-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

In between tending to a husband who was home sick for much of this week, I've been trying to get several art projects finished...such as these pages for Joleen's Portals Fatbook. The excerpt is from Burnt Norton by T.S. Eliot. As you can see, I went hog wild with more of Michelle Ward's stamps. Since I used an image of a hand and it happens to be the theme this week, I'm also going to participate in Wednesday Stamper. How's that for multi-tasking!

check out this artist

2006-11-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

Look at this great British artist, Cathy Miles that I came across on the Oh Joy! blog. Aren't her bird sculptures wonderful?

Is anyone else having trouble viewing my blog on your computer screen? I made some changes and some people aren't able to see all the content anymore. Please let me know by leaving a comment. I may have to go back and tweak things. Thanks!

macy's giftwrap department, here i come

2006-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

I should get a job wrapping gifts during the holidays now that I've gotten so much practice with these twelve presents! They are for a 12 Days of Christmas swap, so I can't show you what's inside until they are opened by all the recipients next month. Check out the blog created for the swap by hostess extraordinaire, Lelainia Lloyd - click here or the button in the right column.

happy fall y'all!

2006-10-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Look at this ginormous (giant + enormous) leaf I found today while the dogs and I went hiking. And there were even bigger ones still on the tree! Don't forget to turn your clocks back.

more gpp crusade no. 1

2006-10-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

gpp street team

2006-10-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I decided to "join" Michelle Ward's Green Pepper Press Street Team - anyone can do it, it's not a competition or anything. It's a fun way for people to promote her wonderful rubber stamps by sharing photos of items we've made with them. Michelle explains it much better so click here or on the button in the right column.

gpp crusade no. 1

2006-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, the colors on this scan are pretty horrible, but I think you get the idea!

"may I always be worth of my friends" - author unknown

2006-10-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

I got two RAKs in the mail yesterday...one is a rughooked pillow from my friend, Shari - isn't it lovely? It's always a treat to receive handmade art. And I know how much effort goes into rughooking (I'm still working on the one I started in June at ArtFiberFest) so I really treasure this special pillow!

The other gift I received is a kumihimo kit from my friend, Paula - she was so thoughtful to send this to me because I had to cancel on an upcoming retreat with my local art group where she plans to demonstrate how to make these fiber braids. Now I can try out this technique at home and attend the retreat in spirit!

behold the bedlam that is the multiples swap

2006-10-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here I am working on getting my "Hot Flashes from the Kitchen" pages finished (hosted by The Creative Underground). This was a much more involved swap than a typical fatbook. Not only do I have to cut out the top of the pages by hand (in case you can't tell, they are apron-shaped), but I have to laminate them and then hand-cut again. Though the process is a bit tedious, I have to say I cannot wait to get this book back...it will be so fun to see what everyone else did and to try out some new, easy and quick (hence, hot "flash") recipes!! I will post a close-up of my page once everyone gets their books back.

just simply charming

2006-10-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Check out the new blog for the charm swap that I participated in!

family portrait

2006-10-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is what I made in Carla Sonheim's class. It was a 4-hour evening workshop that went by way too fast. Carla is a kind, talented artist who shared step-by-step techniques for creating her fun, whimsical paintings. As I've said before, I'm the type of person who needs lots of time to deliberate when I'm making art, so the short class format was out of my comfort zone. But I think it was really good for me to be pushed out of that zone - I especially liked the quick drawing exercises we did at the beginning of class. Working fast forced me to try and ignore the voice of my inner critic (which usually speaks very loudly). Even though I'm not 100% happy with this painting, it was the first time I actually came away from a class with a finished piece! And I learned so much from Carla that will help further my development as an artist.

an aside...

2006-10-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Please do not ask me for detailed instructions regarding any of the Art & Soul projects that I'm posting. I think it is unfair to divulge that information - both to the teachers who make part of their living sharing their techniques and to the other students who paid for these classes. Thanks for understanding! :)

weird & wonderful windows - mixed media light boxes

2006-10-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

These are the "before" and "after" of my other Michael DeMeng class. Isn't it creative how he came up with the idea? Love the concept of the different layers of glass, transparencies, and paint. I decided mine had too much space between the two front layers so I added ledger paper to the inside edges (which you probably can't see in the photo) and bits of ephemera which I painted to look like rusty metal - a plastic bird (yes, it's the same doodad I used in my polaroid assemblage), small wood block, and some chain links. Sorry the photos are not very clear - it's tough when you can't use a flash due to the glass.

I know people are going to ask so...Michael designed the wood boxes and had them custom-made (i.e. I don't know of anyplace you can order them, though maybe someday he will offer the kit for purchase).

going backward

2006-10-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going in reverse chronological order as I describe my A&S classes, since I seem to be finishing my projects in that order!

The last two workshops I took were taught by Michael DeMeng - a talented artist and really fun teacher. The one I'll talk about here is the 3D Polaroid Assemblage class. Shown above are the raw materials I started with (minus paint, caulk, and doodads) and my finished piece. In the post below, I am sharing a few of the incredible assemblages that my fellow students made. My apologies that I'm unable to give credit to each individual artist. The only attributions I'm sure of are the first two which were created by Deb Trotter and Kathy Wasilewski, two amazing artists who I've become acquainted with through the internet and had the pleasure of meeting for the first time in person at A&S.

other students' polaroid assemblages

2006-10-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

art & soul - part one

2006-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Holy moley, has it really been ten days since I last posted? Well, it's been a very busy period, and I haven't finished taking photos of all my Art & Soul class projects so those will be coming in the near future. All in all, I had a wonderful time - as I'm sure I've said before, my favorite part at art retreats is meeting other artists. Spending time with talented and generous teachers and students are what make these events memorable for me. This time, I was grateful that I had the chance to meet artists who I had only "known" via my blog and the internet. What a treat to be able to interact in person...cyperspace is a great way to keep in touch but it's just not the same as the real thing!

More thoughts and photos to follow in the days to come...

october...

2006-10-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

is breast cancer awareness month. Educate yourself here and here. This is a cancer that is treatable when detected early - my mother was very lucky to have done so several years ago.

I will be busy attending classes at Art and Soul this week but look forward to sharing stories and photos about it next week. Until then, happy artmaking to everyone!

how to foil a glass pebble (scroll down for photos)

2006-09-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

People have asked about copper-foiling a glass pebble charm...I'm no expert but this is how I do it:

First, attach your pebble to your image and let the adhesive dry thoroughly (I wait overnight). I use a Diamond Glaze type adhesive but I've heard E6000 or gel medium works, too.

Next, foil the back with a few strips, overlapping a little, and cut off excess.

Then, start foiling the side - I don't like dealing with the curves so I start down at a point where the foil lies flat. Maybe this is not the most secure way, but so far, it works for me.

I'm also not very neat about crimping it down as you can see in the photo, but I make sure I use a bone folder (or handy wooden stick from a Haagen-Daas bar) to press down so the foil is stuck on very well. This is a really important step - don't skip it!

Voila! Now solder away...

photos

2006-09-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

comment problem fixed

2006-09-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

According to the Blogger Buzz, all Blogger users, beta-version or otherwise, should now be able to comment on each other's blogs.

inspiration of the day

2006-09-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're all sick of me posting other people's thoughts but this really spoke to me today from Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Letters. The subject has been on my mind a lot lately since I've been thinking about how I keep taking all these classes, and, in a way, "appropriating" the styles of other artists. I just have to have faith that my own style will develop in time.

Dear Edina,
On Monday Adolfo McQue of Cape Town, South Africa wrote:

"Some of my painter friends insist that I don't have a unique angle in my work. I feel all I can do is carry on and paint as much as I can and not worry about it, and eventually it will come. To force it would be easy as I'm a professional designer and illustrator. It would also be shallow and dishonest, do you agree? Do you have some advice on this?"

Thanks, Adolfo. When I was in my twenties I was painfully aware that my work was a mish-mash. It was without angle, without style. A newspaper critic wrote that it was a "pastiche." I had to look up the word and I didn't like what I read. I despaired at ever finding my angle, but continued in my belief that the gods of art would someday grant me one. I, too, didn't want to be shallow and dishonest.

Then one evening at an early solo show, several collectors managed to blurt out that they loved my style. "It's so different," said one. It was only at that moment that I realized I had something I might call my own.

Analyzing my idealistic youth in reflective age, I realize that there's more than one road to Rome. I now know that just because a style is appropriated--or forced--it doesn't mean that an artist has to stay put. For many of my friends, the idea was to stand quickly on someone else's shoulders and then jump off. As a designer and illustrator you are probably proud of the variety of approaches you can take to a project. Why not put this facility to work? What I learned from the Pastiche Guy was that I was being influenced anyway. I was subconsciously appropriating stuff. What he didn't see was that I was already crossbreeding. These days I'm thinking that appropriation, within limits and not including outright cloning, is okay.

The idea is to have an efficient growth process so you get to the joyous part. Joy includes having something you can call your own. It doesn't matter a fig what folks say in shows or what critics put into papers. Artists need to live in the present tense. It's your daily studio function that counts. When someone says they love your style, you'll find yourself mumbling something like, "It's a funny thing, but I just do it this way right now." Then you have your angle.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "My different styles must not be seen as an evolution, or as steps towards an ideal. Everything I have ever made was made for the present and with the hope that it would always remain in the present." (Pablo Picasso)

Esoterica: As a regular juror and habitual looky-loo, I notice that there's lots of competent work that doesn't show much that's unique. While mere competence or proficiency will often attract attention, especially among other artists, it may not be enough. Artists need to have their wits about them and be aware that insights can arise from little errors as well as big bloopers. Insights, original or not, tend to pop up unbidden. Pause. When the faintest glimmer of an insight appears--the wise artist explores in that direction. To evolve, artists need to exploit their glimmers.

happy anniversary

2006-09-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy indeed! Nine years with the most patient, loving, and fun husband - who could ask for anything more? Except of course for an ArtFest confirmation...LOL!...mine finally arrived yesterday. Even though it's my third time, the excitement is still the same as the first! Who else is going? Would love to meet my cyberspace friends in person...

eye candy for breakfast

2006-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this artist.

Been busy getting my charms done and also trying to start some canvases for a potential PAC show coming up next spring. For me, there are few things more difficult than staring at a blank canvas and being overwhelmed by possibilities. To plan or not to plan, that is the question. Should I come up with an idea first or just dive in and hope something worthwhile materializes? That game can go on in my head forever, like two mirrors reflecting each other into infinity. Analysis paralysis: the bane of perfectionism.