Valentine ATC's

Below are some valentine ATC's plus a few other pieces I've made in the past few days.

If you are interested in trading ATC's, let me email me at lifsart@verizon.net

"I Love,Therefore I Am"
ATC
"Marilyn Love"

coin envelope pocket for valentine card
"A House is a House"
"A Mermaids Life"
these two peices are book covers- examples for a childrens class I'm teaching. The kids painted the paper using gesso as the under design with color on top, then shapes are cut out.

"XO"

ATC

"Be Mine"

ATC

"Be My Untamed Love"

ATC

Visual Journals Rock

Here is the advent calender style self portrait page from my journal. I embellished an idea I read about in Linda Woods' and Karen Dinino's book Visual Chronicles, the no fear guide to creating art journals,creative manifestos and altered books, in which they spoke of creating a self portrait from symbols that represent you. It was Christmas time and I love those little doors in advent calenders. I used a slide mount as a template and created a grid of little doors and windows on a piece of watercolor paper that had been created for another project that just didn't work. I found a bunch of images or symbols that represent me.

I had my students do this in my visual journaling class and they loved it as much as I did. You gotta try it. I still have a few windows and doors to fill-up. I know I'll do this again in another journal as this one is almost full!!!

This eye is the remnant paint from my palette as I was playing with oils. When I was a kid my friend Mary's parents had a drawing of a Geisha in pen and ink on newspaper in their home. I enjoyed looking at that that piece then and continue to love the look of artwork done on such a common surface. I must do more oils on newspaper.

Working on non-objective paintings

Below is one stage of progression of a series of three pieces I am working on. The work is so rewarding I wanted to show them here even though they are not finished. They are large, 26" x 30".

The color of this one (above) is the most true of all of the pieces and I post it here because of that.

they have so much depth already and I'm not finished. I must proceed with caution.

The way that they are taking on a life of their own is the magic I love about art.

Walking Meditation

On the first of this year, I went for a walk. This is one of the things I love about where I live. The land around the Mission is a very sacred space for me and I try to walk there as much as possible. This day I brought my camera as it is also a place of inspiration for my work.

Can you believe this sky in January?
I love the cactus. The shapes are so simple though one must be very agile to navigate through them.
Here I begin my trek up. I like to chant silently as I ascend the path breathing through my nose. The repetition of AH helps me to clear my mind and the breath forces me to breathe deep. the smells of this place are incredable to my sences as well.
The imprints in the sand tell me so much about the life we live. Ultimately we are all going to end up in the same place, though our different ways of following the path trick us into thinking thats not so.
When I turn back I see this part of the Mission. The patron saint of this mission is the Virgin Mary. the true meaning of the word "virgin" is a woman who owns herself. I also see this and,
this. In the summer the flowers are quiet beautiful.
Here is the entrance to what I call the "healing tunnel of trees". It is a very magical experience walking through here.
going down
Ah, the end of the path and back to the duties of life.

Ruth's 8th Birthday Party

Today was the only day we could celebrate Ruth's b-day as I teach on the rest of the Saturdays this month. So within 4 days, Ruth and I pulled it off.

This is the "Pin the Tail on the Monkey" monkey I painted for Ruth as she didn't want the usual "Donkey". She was disappointed that the monkey wasn't brown, but she probably wasn't too surprised by her mother's color choices.
Ruth in front of the "Volcano" ice cream cake she requested.
Yum
Here are the houses the girls collaged. We used Martha Stewarts' favor boxes as a substraite (I found on sale at Micheal's). These houses are so much fun to make.
Musical chairs
Bobbing for Apples (the girls made me do it!)
Here they where looking at a tray to memorize the contents.
Happy Birthday Ruth

Brenda Bliss commented on my last post asking me what else was on my life's goal list. I wish I knew where that list was. I remember writing five things and one was being published, another was getting my masters or higher (go figure) and another had something to do with being successful as an artist. I don't remember them all. I wrote that list when my son was 3 years old and he will be turning 20 in March. I have always had good results with list writing and encourage it for anyone who has something they want in their life, even if they have no idea of how they would achieve or receive that which is written. My experience has been that I have always gotten what I ask for, it just takes awhile and sometimes it isn't what I thought it would be. Remember the adage, careful what you ask for as you might get it.

When I graduated collage with a BA in Dramatic Arts with an emphasis in Costuming I had no idea how I would support myself as theatre didn't pay well, but I said I was going to teach art. When I went to apply for the teaching progam I was completely intimidated by my first interview on the phone and continued my job as a waitress. 15 years later I was teaching art and have continued that vocation in one manner or another since (and though I did do the course work in teaching, I never got my credential) working with local community groups in elementary schools (as what I call an itenerat art teacher) and 4 years as a high school art teacher at a private prep school (Dunn School). Now I run the Art Clinic with my friend Syd McCutcheon where I get to work and teach. By the way, though I never got my credential, the school district in which I live has no problem hiring me for long term jobs when they need me, because I know my business and thankfully I never did get my credential 'cause then I never would have taken the risks I have because I would have been making decent money as a teacher but my butt would be really big due to my eating too much for comfort and I would be really unhappy- and I say that not to disrespect puplic teachers on the contrary, just that I know myself and I know how unfulfilled I would be in that situation, especially now that my dream of making art constantly is happening.

Okay, since you asked Brenda, I have one last story about my list writing coming true.

When my daughter was one year old and I was 41, unwed and on my own I decided I determined that I did indeed want a man in my life both for me and my children, but I had some very specific characteristics I wanted in that relationship and in that man, so I wrote a list. I was very specific as to what I wanted in terms of values and emotional and spiritual evolution and involvement. I am happy to report that I met my husband quiet swiftly after writing that list, and he met the majority of those attributes I asked for. He is a great man and supports the arts, woman and children and I mean that physically, emotionally, spiritually as wall as financially.

Cloth Paper Scissors

Years ago, I wrote a list of life goals and one them was to get published. At that time I was thinking I would write a book in my old age, but low and behold I can cross that one item, being published, off my list as the below article is in the Jan/Feb 2008 (16th issue)of Cloth Paper Scissors a Mixed Media Art Magazine. I was so excited whenI saw the spread. The article has three of my paintings included as well as the technique I described, both visually and literally. This is a fantastic New Years gift. If you are interested in reading the article, Cloth Paper Scissors is sold at Borders and Barnes and Noble.

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles

My cousin Teresa invited me for an outing, my choice for my birthday which was in September. I was finally able to take a day (Jan.2) and I chose The Getty. I love this museum as it is such a beautiful space. The exhibits we saw were visiting shows so I wasn't allowed to take photos, (I learned as I was taking pics)but i included here some images of the gardens which are so spectacular against the panarama of Los Angeles. The weather was warm and clear, well as clear as L.A. gets. Really we are so spoiled in California!!!

We saw a lot of great art, including a retrospective of nude photography, a huge show of photographer Graciela Iturbide (fantastic), Medievil Treasures from the Cleavland Museum of Art- this show was full of incredable jewelry,reliquery, illuminate manuscripts and icons from early christian europe- China on Paper which had some beautiful works from china some showing christian influence, and lastly, Taddeo and Federico Zuccaro-Artist Brothers in Renaissance Rome- lovely drawings and paintings too.

I love the cactus garden but my photos do not show off the aesthetically pleasing brilliance of the gardens especially juxtaposed to the concrete jungle behind it.


This is the main garden and very enjoyable to stroll through, though Teresa and I did not get a chance to as we went to five different exhibits!!! Boy my dogs are still yapping!

We ended are art crawl with a trip to Sawtelle St to hit a few Japanese shops and this Gallery of Alternative art called The Giant Robot. Very cool stuff.

Visual Journaling with modest supplies

As a mother of a school aged child, my schedule changes radically during school breaks. For me it means more time to hang with the family, but my creative needs are not completely quenched with all the cooking I've been doing. I live 30 min. from my studio, so I haven't been there for a week, ugh!!! And though I do have a studio space at my home, the materials are very limited and being located in the garage it is cold. Besides I wanted to at least be in the same room with my family so I thought I would challenge myself by working in a writing journal I found in my drawer ( I hadn't written in for over a year) and using limited supplies, such as a glue stick (I am a gel medium fan but I'm looking for low mess), a pen, stickers I made from magazines and a zyron I've been saving (for this I guess), and a bird paper punch I found in the Martha Stewart section at Micheal's on sale. Oh, I forgot to mention the Mary Engelbright stickers I found at Micheals too. (Micheal's just opened in the town where I live, which is sort of bittersweet; sweet because it is nice to have an art and craft store near by and bitter because I always find stuff I don't need but have to have, like the paper punch and the stickers!!!)

When working in my visual journals, I tend to rely on gesso and paint so these pages seem a bit white to me, though on the crow above I used paint and colored pencils help lessen the white of the paper. Notice the bird, both positive and negative image used on the borders. Also I love the black pen. It really lends itself to simple illustrations.

It is amazing how much satifaction I get from a bit of work in my journal. My art withdrawls have been alleviated for now.

Gingerbread Houses

These are the gingerbread house Cousin Danielle, Ruth and Nikolai created )poor Sophia's house fell apart during the drying of the mortar(frosting)). I made the walls and roofs, but they weren't very uniform. The kids did a great job making there houses. Nik just finished an art history class so he made his version of Chartles Cathedral with a rose window. It had a cross at the top for awhile. Danielle's wasn't up to code as the house was completely in ruins the next morning. A good time was had by all.

Ruth was very serious in her school Christmas play. The kids did a great job as usual.