Nesting, Wrapping up 2013

After lots of teaching and travel, I felt the need for some quiet time. This involved cleaning the studio, moving furniture (actual and intellectual) getting rid of stuff  I no longer use and above all, staying off the computer!! I have been nesting, playing, enjoying family. The holiday season is when I begin my reflections on what was accomplished this year and planning my goals for next year.

During my "quiet time" I had an awesome weekend in San Francisco for window shopping and trying out my new camera.

I  have plugged in my sewing machine and been making a few dolls and teddy bears. It is so fun to work with fabric again, I forgot how much I loved it!

 

I finished my last painting for the year. It was done on a piece of a closet door we recycled into a canvas for me! It started out as lots of collage and texture and evolved into this "moth" like girl. It is all about transformation...how will I transform in 2014?

 

I have been preparing class proposals for 2014. I am so excited about the class I will be teaching at Art-Is-You Petaluma in September. 2 days of painting my favorite subjects - Folk and Fairy tales! Click the link under Pages on the right for more information. Registration goes live January 1.

 



 

I treated myself to a special journal to work in this year. It is handcrafted with a soft leather cover and handmade watercolor paper. I am anxious to dive in, trying to get over the "what if I ruin a page" stage, so I did a test drive on the last page!..... If you are interested, here is the link to Iona's website.

 

 

 

Lastly....I have been published in Lesley Riley's new book "Quotes Illustrated." An inspiring and magical collection of quotes illustrated by many artists in many mediums. A great book to own and give as a gift to a creative friend!

 

 

Wishing you a happy New Year, full of curiosity and creativity!

Hugs from the studio!

Karen

 

 



 

 





 

 

 

Happenings in the studio

I just received my copy of "Incite, Dreams Realized: The Best of Mixed Media".

 

What an inspiring collection of Mixed Media art. I am honored to be featured on page 109!

 

 

 

I am in high gear preparation for Art-Is-You 2013.

Here are some teaser photos from my classes:

 

Character Creation

 

Inky Folk

 

Paint with Abandon

 

I am also working on my classes for next years Art-Is-You,...more to come!

 

 

 

 

Where did the summer go?

It is clear that summer, for me is for "filling my well," not sitting at my computer. So much has occurred since my last post. Here is the short photo version of what I have been up to....

Saw an awesome concert by Rodrigo y Gabriella at the Jacksonville, OR Britt Festival



Had a month long visit from my granddaughter which involved lots of shopping!

and art making (all these she made...)

Found inspiration in Portland...



Saw an outdoor production of "Midsummer Nights Dream" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

 

Made more art with my granddaughter. These are "gallbladders" to replace the one my daughter had removed this summer!

Taught kids art classes for the Grants Pass Art Museum

Took a tour of Fire Mountain Gems (located in my town!). This is detail of a piece in the lobby, all done with seed beads.

Worried and endured the smoke from the brush fires in Southern Oregon....

Visited the San Diego Zoo!

Learned (relative term..) how to row my hubbies new drift boat.

Spent 5 days painting with Jesse Reno....

 

Visited the Grotto in Portland, Or

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worked on my Japanese style garden taking shape outside my studio...a work in progress.

 

Won 3rd place in the Southern Oregon Art Show at the Firehouse Gallery in Grants Pass, OR

 

 

The school busses are out on the road and the temperatures are cooling down. Fall is coming....my favorite season!



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Joy of Teaching



I just returned from teaching my class "Imperfect Beauty" at the Pacific Northwest Art School on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA. I had a wonderful experience and was able to work with an amazing group of women. We shared and took risks and enjoyed the process of making expressive faces for 2 days. Here is some of the awesome work they produced in such a short time. ....



Colorful, loose, original, joyful art! What more can you ask for?

The work of Creating a Class

I have really been neglecting my blog.....I have been busy working on some of my upcoming classes. To go from concept, to samples, to actual class day, is a long process for me. I approach it as if I am the student, so my expectations are high. I am constantly trying to find the balance - enough information to challenge, but not overwhelm folks. With the supply list supplies in front of me (very important), I work on my samples. My biggest irritation as a student, is to gather all the supplies on the list, only to find out we only used a fraction of them. Once the samples are done and the outline and handouts are written. I go through a dry run of the class to determine the order of "operations." Mixed media is a bit of a dance between supplies, drying time, demonstrations and making actual art. All of this is necessary for a great classroom experience. Here is a sample for my upcoming class "Imperfect Beauty: A Mixed Media Approach to Face and Form". In one exercise, we will be taking a photo of ourselves and transforming it into something really dramatic.

Here is the original:

Me...a little younger!

Me, as a very dramatic geisha....water soluble crayons and a little black and white paint.
I am so looking forward to seeing what my students will do! There is still time to sign up for the class on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA at the
Pacific Northwest School of Art
June 29-30, 2013
Just click on Mixed Media Workshops

 

21 Secrets

I hope those of you following my blog received my newsletter. If you did not, be sure to sign up. I am hoping to do it at least twice a year, more if there is positive feedback. I have been missing my journaling time getting ready for Artwalk in a few short weeks, so I signed up for 21Secrets - an art journaling workshop to entice me to take some time out for play. The classes can be taken in any order, so I jumped in with Danielle Daniel and played with her prompts.

For some reason I picked up the grey paint, so it is a little somber. I wanted to try some color combinations I don't usually use.  I had fun with this background - what a mess!

This is the other page of the spread.

I decided not to put anything in the background so I could remember what I did. I plan on doing something completely different on the other side. We'll see how it goes....