One More Project

I spent this last of March playing in my studio in between loads of laundry, a little bit of housework, and a 1/2 hour walk. I finished up one last wallpaper project, a little pocket journal, which I made from left-over fabric,  stickers & other embellishments, and wallpaper. I'm all ready to jump into another on-line class with Pam Carriker, Journall 365, so I'll neatly stack my wallpaper books and get out the paints, graphite pencil, and learn lots of new things. Hopefully.

Journaling Journey

I think it's safe to say that I can check off another item on my New Year's Resolution list. I've gotten into the Art Journaling thing. Totally. It took me a while, but I'm there.

I tend to be a bit over-analytical. I have a BS in Medical Technology and am 12 credits short of having an undergrad degree in Psychology, so go figure. I need to UNDERSTAND things before I can learn the processs and really get into doing something. So, I bought L.K.Ludwig's book "True Vision Authentic Art Journaling, bought an issue of Stampington's Journaling magazine, am taking Strathmore's on-line class, and got up enough nerve to sign up for Pam Carriker's Journaling 365. My first journal from last year was more of a portfolio. Now my journals are my art and my thoughts. I love journaling like this. It heals.

Daddy's Tree

My dad gave me this tree 14 years ago, the year before he passed away. He called and said he was coming over with a "free" tree which he had gotten. Well, it was this pathetic little twig,  stuffed into a plastic bag. So, I planted it in a berm out front, nursed it year after year, and now it's a beauty.

If you look closely, you can see icicles hanging from the tips of the branches, thanks to the last (hopefully) snow storm of the season. I'm not complaining, though. Afterall, this IS Wisconsin, it's early spring, and as we're told in Ecclesiastes, "To everything there is a season".

The First Day of Spring

Spring arrived today, but looking outside you'd never guess  it. We got snow, a mix of snow and rain, then  finally just rain. Today was a good day just to stay inside and make art. I finished this wallhanging which I started a few days ago. It's another wallpaper and fabric scraps project. Pretty soon I'll be busy out in the yard so I'm getting as much studio time as I can right now.

Spring Thaw

Turning the clocks ahead makes for a little bit of longer of an evening. The light was still good after supper, so we took a walk down to Point Creek. It's been open for a while. With temperatures reaching near 50 this week, it will be handling a lot more water than this. For sure the spring thaw is here.

It's Not Just For Walls

I came up with a plan for my art work. I think. I'm all over the map with the types of things I create. That's good because I don't get bored with any one method plus I'm learning new techniques all the time. It can be bad, though, because I'm not really perfecting any one thing. So, I've decided to incorporate wallpaper into my sewn mixed media pieces. I'll de-stash my blissroom, plus maybe I can start honing in on one type of project--sewn pieces using wallpaper. Plus, I'll throw in, here and there, a few different twists. Like, well, whatever. Just not soldering (which I suck at). I made this journal cover for an on-line art journal class using fabric, ribbon, and wallpaper.

A LITTLE BIT OF TWEAKING

Somehow, I've managed to do a bit of fixing, tweaking, and color-changing to this blog. Taking baby steps works for me. I've seen some very wonderful blog sites out there. Eventually I'll arrive at something between simple and wonderful. Maybe posting a photo of what it looks like around here may be a start. This picture is already 3 months old, but I think it tells the story of what winter can be like around here. Admittedly, winter gets long in Wisconsin. It just depends upon the individual, I guess.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

I remember my mom saying "The older you get, the faster time goes". How right she was. One of my New Years's resolutions was to create a blog. It's a little over 2 months now that I decided to do that. Those 2 months have flown, but I'm finally doing it.

I am so, so Cyber-challenged. Technology-challenged as well. That translates into "This is going to be a very basic, plain, run-of-the-mill blog until I play with it enough to jazz it up and make it "pretty". So be it. My intention here is to share my art, my flower bed photos, pictures of the birds and other animals that visit our 3-acre yard here in Newton, and to share a few thoughts. And, so, I'm off and running.