Almost Packed for Art-Is-You

I am almost packed for Art-Is-You in Petaluma. This sneak photo is of some of the vintage goods I am bringing for the Art Trunk Sale on Saturday, September 22 from 6pm to 10pm. I will have plenty of original art and a few of my teddy bears too..... It is amazing to see all the efforts of the past months crammed into duffel bags and plastic bins. There is always the nagging feeling that I am forgetting some critical item, but I will let that go and assume I have everything I need. I am very excited to teach my class "Doll Face" on Friday and am treating myself to 2 days painting with Tracy Verdugo! Now if I can only find my toothbrush.....

The joy of public art....

It was a crazy weekend for me. I painted my first "public art" at my local gallery in Grants Pass, OR. I ambitiously thought I could finish in one session ( I worked from 5:30 to 9:00pm.) Today I returned and I think it is done. It is quite a rush and a bit overwhelming to work with folks watching! Let me know what you think. The Panel is 90"x30".

Easel Instructions

So many of you have asked, so I am posting a link to instructions on how I built the easels. You can access it  here:     Easel Instructions .
Remember, I am an artist, not a woodworker, so I apologize in advance for the instructions. If I can do it without much instruction, you can do it too! Enjoy.

Homemade Easels

I took a day off from painting to make 2 easels with my own two hands. I had the lumber cut at the yard and basically put them together with screws. One piece of 4x8' plywood. Some 1x2" lumber and 4 wheels. I got the idea from Jesse Reno. He has these all over his studio and they are so much more flexible than a regular easel. 2 surfaces to use, storage in between, adjustable rail to put your painting on and two easels can be combined for a giant painting. My hubby was impressed. I did not have to ask for any help and I only spilled a minimal amount of blood!

Trip to San Diego

I have been away...our new grand daughter Emery made her entrance on August 11th and we shot down to So Cal to meet her. What a beauty. I am hoping for weekly photos so I don't miss anything!
I managed to sneak in a bit of antiquing inspiration when I was there. These are amazing creations..who knew you could do so much with some shells and trims!

Now that I am home I am trying to get back in the painting groove. I did this piece in about an hour, just zoning out. Unfortunately I am really liking how it is developing...unfortunate because I did it on some throw away paper...ahhhhh! Don't you just hate when that happens....

Classes Added

Playful Papers

I just added 2 classes to my Oregon Studio schedule!

Playful Papers with Collage and Paint - August 11th

and 

The UP-Cycled Book Journal

The Up-Cycled Book Journal - November 3rd. 

You can check out the details by clicking on the class titles or the Art Journaling and Studio Class Links under "Pages" to the Right. 

Summer Inspirations

There is a lot to be said about making art with kids. Their imagination is without boundaries. I just finished spending a month with my 13 year old grand daughter. We have been making art together since she was able to hold a crayon without trying to eat it. She has also inherited my love of antiques and fun junk. We found this birdcage in a resale shop and she had to have it. The next 3 weeks she outfitted it like a palace, complete with curtains, rugs, pillows and a bed for her favorite stuffed pet. In the process, she learned how to sew on the sewing machine and fell in love with fabric. She also learned how to make her own pattern ( the cover for the cage ) and honed her hand sewing skills. I am not showing the final results because it is still a work in progress and also a fun exercise - what would you do with this birdcage? Imagine it!