Parts of Art

     This is a re-post of an article from 2015, which I wrote during my Florida show circuit. Since then my home, my city, my color palette and the subject matter of my art has changed, but the concept remains.    What is it that makes art happen? Does it happen because the preliminary sketch has every painstaking detail? Or does it just flow out of the fingertips of the artist? Or is it somewhere in between? Serendipity: noun.  1. An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.  2. Good fortune; luck. Plan: noun. 1. a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding making, etc, developed in advance: battle plans. Like I always say, there is a balance in there somewhere.         Once I was at an art show which was not very well attended and I had time on my hands. I was showing mixed media collage. It was a beautiful venue in Florida and the weather was spectacular. I don't know where the customers were, but dang it, I needed something to do. I found some w

      I am super excited to announce that the Broad Ripple Art Fair decided to take me off the wait list and add me to the invited list! All that work and preparation, putting my booth up outside on the coldest day of the year so we could take a photo of it- it was all worth it after all, because I got in! I’m totally doing the happy dance. I have applied to that show four times in the last six years, and up to now have not been able to get my foot in the door.        It might have to do with the fact that I am now jurying in with mixed media instead of jewelry. It’s just as competitive, but there are fewer entrants in the category of mixed media, thus increasing my chances for getting in. Not that I believe in chance, but the percentages were more in my favor. Anyway, I got in, and I am so jazzed!         This is the time of year for artists like me who participate in juried art shows to apply. Check out my show schedule here .      Fourteen months. That’s how long I have

Here’s another page from my illustrated journal.  It’s an impression of what I see when I look at my studio window. The walnut grove in full swing, shedding its leaves with gusto.  And as inspiring as it is to be in the studio with the wood stove cooking, I am not there now.       I left for Florida on Sunday (just in time to miss the arctic blast that came through Indiana)  and arrived at the doorstep of my son and daughter in law on Monday. I got to meet our newest Walker, my first grandchild,  sweet little girl, Avery Lee. So for the next few days I will be holding the baby, cooking and baking in their beautiful kitchen, and enjoying walks on the beach.  I intend to collect new imagery for future art pieces as well. Already this morning I became intrigued with the curvilinear design of the sea oats.  Of course seeing the ocean is always breathtaking, even when its overcast and the wind is gusting.   I might need to bring my journal down here and do some dr

       People often ask the artist, when seeing a painting, “How long did that take?” The simple honest answer is something like two hours and forty some years. Two hours of painting, and forty some years of work, design, research, trial and error, determination, struggle, blood sweat and tears.         Looking back at 40 years or so of making art, and what I have learned:           When I was in Design 2 in the Art program of my University, our professor gave us an assignment. It was called “I Am-This Is.” The idea was to describe who we are and then give a visual representation of it. Since I had recently gotten involved with a Christian ministry and was learning how to live according to God’s Word, I wanted my story to reflect the Word in my life. My idea was to build a house- like a doll house, where each room displayed an aspect of my life, and then somehow have one room that was full of light. In the Art Building we had access to the shop, which was a spacious

    Yes it’s true. Fifty shades barely scratches the surface of gray.  Mix black and white paint and you get gray. Big deal, ho hum, boring. Here’s another thought: mix any two complementary colors to white and get gray, which makes the actual number of grays infinite. That, to me, is exciting. No, more than that. It’s inspiring!    My husband and I  thought we were being totally original when we decided to go with a gray and white palette for our guest room. Once we started on that project, however,  it seemed like everyone I met was going with gray and white in their home decor projects. News flash: it’s a trend!        The great thing we discovered about gray and white in a bedroom is that the overall effect is calming. I can go in that room any time of the day and feel peaceful, because the mood is softly undemanding. When on those rare occasions I luxuriate into an afternoon nap, the gray and white room is my go-to place for a deep restful snooze. And on those

      About a year ago I started keeping an illustrated journal. It’s just a simple watercolor pad sketch book, about $5 at the local art supply store. I love it because it’s watercolor paper and I can paint on it, draw with pencils,  markers, pen and ink, I can write, I can do mixed media collage, and then repeat. And the thing about keeping an illustrated journal is, it’s not for finished art to sell.  It’s really pretty private, just a place to start ideas. It’s not about showing it to people. It’s about having a place to record thoughts, plans projects, ideas, etc, and then illustrating them.     My winter morning routine involves going out to the studio, starting the fire in the wood stove, feeding the cats, and then opening my journal to a new page and giving it a fresh wash of watercolor.  It just gets the juices flowing, so to speak, to get some color on a plain page.       I don’t even like the art on this page. I would never actually do a painting

So it happened again at my last show.       I had started working on a new concept involving copper wire, tissue paper and resin. The idea stemmed from a book called Resin Alchemy by Susan Lenart Kazmer. Resin coated paper leaves, p.76 Resin Alchemy      From these materials I formed a cuff bracelet and earrings. I loved the look and feel of the copper and paper, and the balance of frailty and strength. Thing is, it wasn’t really working as a bracelet. I put it aside thinking I would get back to it. Got busy with other pieces and projects. Picked up the bracelet a few times, but nothing stirred.       Fast forward three months. I had decided to design a series of four statement necklaces, all utilizing the same materials and techniques. That’s when the epiphan y happened. That piece didn’t want to be a bracelet, it wanted to be a necklace! So, the altering, tweaking and embellishing began, and by the end of the day, a frail yet strong neck piece of whirling autumn leaves was

     It took me a few long cold winters to get used to life in the Midwest, after living in Florida and doing the show circuit there for 25 years. In the south, shows start up in September and wind down in April, and by then it's too hot. In the north, it’s just the opposite: May to October, and after that it's too dang cold.           I know there are road gypsies out there that can pull off the year-round art show circuit, and I tip my hat to them. As for me and my house, I am glad to have my in season as well as my off season. It helps me stay organized with my work and stay focused on production.       So here’s my plan for what I lovingly refer to as “winter work":     1.    Make a new show piece or two for the coming year. This for me is the project that gets me in work mode. Coming up with a new show piece takes sketching, designing, contemplating, and planning. The whole process requires that I get my ducks in a row. The show piece needs to be similar

Harmony, that wonderful balance when there's not too little, not too much, when visually it's just right.  At times it eludes us, and we have to get back to the basics.  So here it is: Harmony 101

       I have these fun little kits I sell at my art shows. They  each contain everything you need to make one pair of earrings. Actually there is more than enough parts and pieces, because I like to give you lots of options.      The kits come with a link to a video where you can see how to make them.   Whenever I sell one of these kits, I tell my customer that if they will send me a picture of the finished earrings, I will post them on my blog and they'll be FAMOUS  (to all 10 people that read my blog!) Finally, someone took me up on it. Drum roll please.......  Here's what she sent:        So a big thank you to Ginlee from Etsy who is now a famous jewelry maker!       The kits are packed with beads, canvas, paper, acrylic paint films, fabric, leather, and findings. I pack them myself, so each kit is actually one of a kind. I’m just giving you the stuff; it’s up to you what you do with it. Here’s some available to order:   

    This week my husband, daughter and I took a road trip to Chicago. It just so happened that our day of travel was the same day as a devastating storm came through the Chicago area! It was a normal December cold when we started north, but as we drove we noticed the trees were more and more getting covered with frosty ice. It would have been a glistening wonderland had it been sunny. Our daughter, visiting from Orlando Florida, was delighted to see snow and frost. At the time she was making plans to come here, the weather was unseasonably warm and there was no hint of snow or ice.          We became concerned with the possibility of getting stranded in Chicago. According to what we discovered on our smart phones, hundreds of flights in the Chicago area had gotten cancelled or postponed, and traffic was gridlocked in the city. We pulled off the road at about the halfway point and discussed whether we should turn around and go home. Once we decided to "proceed to the ro

     I thought I couldn't wait to get in that painting class.           I used to stand outside the door and look in and dream of the day I could be a student in that class, with those old oak easels and leaded glass windows on the third floor of the old art building. Not to mention that wonderful fragrance of linseed oil, always present in the painting studio. Now I was there, and it felt hopeless. My professor, the venerable Dr. Murphy, would take great interest in the work of a few of her students. The ones who knew what they were doing. But with me, she would come up behind,  watch me paint for a moment, and say the same thing every time.  "Well, finish this one and go on to the next one." Intimidating. Frustrating. Even embarrassing. Truth is I didn't know what I was doing, and I needed someone to teach me. But I slogged on, moving from one amateur looking painting to the next, hoping to improve, hoping to one day hear something more from my