The Art Dept

      I am a lover of paint and the painted surface. What the painted surface is able to express is a silent language that speaks with a voice louder than words. When standing before a painting, one can perceive this language, can even participate in the silent dialogue. The viewing of a painting becomes a conversation of sorts.        This month My husband and I celebrated our 40th anniversary by going to Bavaria, Germany. During our stay we visited five museums and saw firsthand over 2000 years of history expressed in paint. With bated breath I stood before masterful oil paintings I had heretofore only studied in art history textbooks.       One such painting was done by Rembrandt Van Rijn in 1661, and is entitled “The Resurrected Christ”. In this painting the viewer is face to face with a life size Christ who has risen from the dead.  Christ is boldly and with an expression of love and understanding facing his audi...

In this lively workshop we will focus on designing and producing the components of mixed media art jewelry. By the end of the session, guests will be able to take home pieces of wearable art of their own design.  Parts of Parts of Art include handmade textured paper, acrylic paint skins, canvas remnants, polymer clay beads, paper beads, and various painted and textured surfaces. All tools and materials will be provided to guests. Snacks, coffee and cold drinks will also be available.  Parts of Parts of Art workshop will take place on Saturday, May 26th. Schedule for the workshop:  10 AM introduction and demonstration  10:15-11 design and build parts of parts of art 11 coffee & snack extravaganza 11:15-12 put all the parts of art together The workshop will take place in my inspiring and peaceful country studio outside Alexandria Indiana. Once your registration is completed you will receive directions and details. See you th...

       I had taken a one year break from doing shows, and was ready to re-enter the arena. Living at the time in northern Florida, the intent was to find juried art shows within a 200 mile radius. This one looked promising, and was within 2 hours of home. I filled out the paperwork, got accepted, and packed my van.    The day before the show I was talking to a friend who, as it turns out, is from that very town. He proceeded to tell me in a very colorful way that nothing good ever happens there, and that it’s the most unlikely place to have an art show. They were not very encouraging words, and they definitely put a damper on my mental state. But hey, I’d already gotten accepted in the show and reserved my hotel. Hell, my van was already packed! I was going.       Upon arrival it was a warm Spring day and the venue was a well manicured park on a lake. It was indeed a beautiful setting, and the feeling was p...

What : In this fun and inspiring workshop we will use a variety of collage materials to create a one of a kind art jewelry piece. Materials include printed words and phrases, acrylic paint films, bits of canvas, strips of leather, various handmade papers, and beads made from paper. I will demonstrate ways to combine words and pictures to tell a story both personal and wearable, then put it all together with various beads and findings. No previous jewelry making experience is required All materials are supplied Snacks, coffee and drinks are available  Where : The workshop will take place in my inspiring and peaceful country art studio When : Saturday, Feb 24, from 10 - 12AM To register for Wearable Words and Pictures  go here  

       Many years ago when I did art shows in Del Ray Beach, Florida, one of my clients brought one of her favorite pair of earrings to show me.  The earrings from her collection were a fascinating combination of different shapes and colors of vintage glass, wood and lucite bits, suspended from a circular piece that covered the earlobe. I was so inspired by seeing these very unique and artfully designed earrings that I started making a similar style. I was also impressed by my gracious and stately client, Lorraine. She was quite fashion minded and carried herself with elegance. She was a lovely silver haired women who would always seek me out to find just the right piece for her collection.       The last time I was in a Del Ray Beach show, her husband came by to pick something out, and told me that Lorraine was now in a nursing home, and no longer able to get to the show. I love that even at the end of her life, she was so co...

       I had arrived at my art show for the day, unpacked my vehicle and found a parking space. My vehicle is a compact Chevy, which you would think easy to slide right into that parallel parking space on the curb in the heart of downtown. But no, I am apparently parallel parking challenged. I line up next to the car in the space ahead, then slowly back up while turning the wheel. Sure enough my little car goes in to the space at the correct angle. It’s just not close enough to the curb and much too far from the car ahead of me. No problem, redo. Up, back, adjust the angle, back, back, okay now forward, okay back, back, then forward, turn wheel a little bit, no too much, now back, angle is off, adjust, okay forward, then back,  now tweek, adjust, check the mirror. Oh dang I am right on the curb and way too close to the guy behind me. Re-do. (Jeesh, good thing no one is watching.) Finally after about ten minutes of up, back, angle, up and back...

      I have a reputation for earrings. If I ever show up without them on, I am just not dressed and something is terribly wrong.    I remember once when I was to speak before a large group. One of my friends was in the audience, one who always looked forward to seeing what earrings I would be wearing. We were doing volunteer work at a farm, and I would show up wearing earrings even if I was raking leaves or painting walls. So as I took my place at the podium, I reached into my pocket and dramatically pulled out and put on a rather bodacious pair of earrings. Looking straight at my friend Mario, I said, “Okay, now I can begin.”       To me, that is the importance of earrings. They not only complete the look, they are the look. The finishing touch. The expression of the moxie and mojo within.  Without them, something is missing, and I can’t possibly go into my day complete.            One morning at my ...

     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 tha...

     Earlier this month I made the decision to compete. The competition is for a monetary prize that will be awarded in an upcoming show. This is an art show in which I have participated for the last three years, and, for me, the awards are fairly substantial. I am not usually one to go after awards, but I figure I’m going there anyway, so I might as well compete.      The other motivator for me is that I need a new jury image or two. Somewhere along the line I learned that jury images need to show a constistency; the pieces need to look like they are all from the same DNA, so to speak. I have had a concern that my jury images are too dissimilar, and someday I need to make them more cohesive.         So someday arrived this week. I had three days off work, so I scheduled studio time to design and build a show piece that 1) could possibly win a prize, and 2) be photographed for a jury image for next year’s sh...