I have spent the early portions of the year working in the studio doing my annual cleaning/arranging and, this year, PURGING! I was prompted to do so by the creation of this event coming up on March 21st, 2020 in Lafayette. “Create space – Earn cash” how could I not be excited! Instead of moving items I rarely use from one spot to another I will actually move them OUT of the studio! It feels so spacious now!!
I have a LARGE collection of arts, craft and vintage items I’ll be bringing to the event, in addition to all the other artists participating! If you are an artist, crafter, Scout leader, need supplies for classes for adults and children or are just a bargain shopper you should plan to attend! I don’t want to clog this post with too many images but below is a small collection of images/items that I’ll be bring to the event:
I hope that is enough to tempt you into shopping! Mark it on your calendar NOW so you don’t miss out. 😉
As I continue randomly exploring different forms of art I branched out a bit into musical instruments! Not hand-built or fancy but an easy kit and lots of creativity. 😉 I purchased three of these kits and have had them in the studio for quite some time. I’m not sure what happened but last month it was finally TIME. So I pulled out the first one and got busy.
After a bit of sanding the painting commenced! Layers of acrylic ink in randomly colorful streaks were the first order of business. A great base to add to, with lots of designs, doodles, more ink, paint pens and fun.
It took several sessions to complete all the details, then it was time for assembling the pieces. No instructions included but a couple of YouTube videos spelled it out pretty clearly. The waiting time for the glue to dry as pieces were added seemed like it took forever but, finally, it was all put together.
I found a handy app for tuning eukeles and had it strumming at last! The included strings were not inclined to keep a tune so I have a new set that arrived the other day that I’ll be switching too. This one was for fun, for practice and just for ME. I’ve got it hanging on the wall in my studio.
The next two? Well, I’ve had a request or two already so we’ll see what happens. The possibilities are endless for design, the hard part will be making up my mind!
So it’s taken me half the year but I’ve got new classes set up at Art on Main Gallery & Gifts in Carmel, Indiana again! The first one with be on Wednesday, July 31st – the flyer below has all the details.
Future class topics are as follows:
August 7th, Mixed Media Painting
August 21st, Batik Painting on Paper
September 4th, Introduction to Journal Making
September 18th, Artistic Jewelry Class
October 16, 30, November 6, 20 – TBA
For your convenience here is a link to the registration page: REGISTER FOR CLASS All dates are Wednesdays and all classes run from 6-9 p.m. I hope you can join me for one (or more!) of these creative evenings!
I recapped the online sale from December a few months ago and, now, it’s time for the Spring version! Think Mother’s Day, Graduation, Weddings, Birthday gifts….or just because you are looking for art and gifts at a great price.
I’m still creating the listings and trivia questions for the contests but the image above gives you a little peek at some items that will be available to claim throughout the hour-long event. I’m even going to include an exclusive class that can only be purchased during the sale:
The items that are listed begin with a 20% discount and the discount will increase as people make purchases, so be sure to share this event with your friends and family to boost the savings for everyone!
I’ve been working with the batik process on paper for a few years now but continue to find new ways to use and present it! A few weeks ago I created several smaller pieces of artwork that were mounted on wood panels. Prior to mounting them I covered the wood panel with dictionary pages…one of my favorite backgrounds.
After the pieces were completely dried I added one more layer, resin! Wow! Do these colors pop and shine now! I’m continuing to experiment with resin, it’s a learning process for sure but it’s been a fun challenge. To see a video of the finished pieces in all their shiny glory, follow THIS LINK to my Facebook page.
I’ll be teaching the batik on paper technique at three different locations in the month of April…details will be published on February 27th. Hopefully you’ll be able to join me for one (or more) of the classes!
So I thought today I’d share a couple recent pieces that I finished and show a bit of the stages it went through along the way. Both these pieces are currently hanging in the gallery at the Blackford County Art Center in Hartford City, Indiana in my show titled “”Cairns & Other Repurposed Treasures” – along with another 26 pieces that are part of my “Wood | Stone | Metal” series. The beginning inspirations were a set of rocks that I painted last month:
In addition to those larger, detailed pieces I also had painted several batches of smaller, colorful, messy, drippy, watercolored stones:
Deciding on the composition is a trial and error process for me, first one layout, then another, tweeking the arrangement and inclusion of stones and material as I progress. This shows an early layout vs. the final version for each of the two pieces.
Potential Layout for “Celebration”
Final Design of “Celebration” mixed media art, 5×12″ in wood cradle
Early design idea for “Simpatico”
Final design of “Simpatico” mixed media art on 12×5″ panel
The third rock in the set is still in the studio, waiting for inspiration to lead me to it’s final destination, who knows where it will end up!
This year I am doing something a little different! Instead of scheduling formal classes I am going to open my studio for a “play date” every few months (sessions will normally be on the third Thursday of the month, followed by a session the next Saturday for those that need a weekend option). Topics will change each month and all will be fun & easy and each only $10 per person to cover the material and supplies.
For September the studio is open for play on Thursday, September 8th from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. as well as Saturday, September 10th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. I’ll be working on preparing some new pieces for the show that opens later that month so materials will be out to paint rocks, create pieces on wood or sticks or just paint – whatever sounds like fun to you! Please reserve your 2-3 hour times slot as your schedule allows, I’ve got room for 3 or 4 people to work comfortably at the same time. The cost is $10. Visit the Online Reservation Form to sign up.
Your entire $10 fee will be donated to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) to promote education about, and research for, Huntington’s Disease. Many describe the symptoms of HD as having ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously. There is no cure. We have two family members currently battling this deadly disease. I will be participating in walks in Indiana this September (for our son) and Knoxville, Tennessee in October (for our grandson).
I hope you are able to come out and play on one of these dates and help me raise money for HD at the same time!
As part of my “Creative Every Day” challenge for this year I’ve been working in an old book that was cut down and had a hole punched through the edge so it can be clasp shut with a chain.
Here are a few of the first projects I’ve done in it:
Opening Page
Pen, pencil, colored pencil
Front cover art
I also did a two-page spread of this lovely lady and her funk and funky hair:
Beginning design, ink & colored pencil
Design finished, ready for color!
Color added & complete
I have done a few other things since then but I’ll save them for another post. Have any of you been following the “Creative Every Day” challenge? What have you worked on?
So this year I’m just feeling a little more loose & free with the idea of classes, teaching and hosting events in my studio. Instead of “formal” classes I’m going to have a few dates throughout the year where I open the studio, have out supplies for certain projects and let you come, create and play in a relaxed atmosphere!
I hope you’ll join in one or more of these sessions, as I determine future topics I’ll post updates. All dates are subjected to change.
Of course I’m always available to schedule a specific class for you if you are interested, you can see a list of possible topics right HERE. I have “add more topics” on my to-do list but haven’t finished that project yet so you might want to check back in a few weeks!
I recently found out about an awesome art challenge that I plan on participating in this summer. “Index Card A Day” (ICAD) is a 61 day challenge that gets you to exercise your creative muscles each day during the months of June & July! Just a note – this is NOT my brain child (I wish!) it’s all part of the Daisy Yellow blog and it’s creator. You’ll find details, inspiration and prompts for creativity on that site. They’re also on Instagram and have a Facebook page for this challenge if you want to follow along there.
What I’d like to do is encourage you to play along and will help get you ready for this challenge by providing a set of index cards and some fun marking tools. I’ll include blank index cards for you to do your own thing plus some that have gelli printed backgrounds on them to get you started when you need some inspiration. Here are some of the cards I printed in the studio yesterday:
gelli printed index cards
Along with sending you the cards I plan on adding in a dual-tip black Sharpie (how could I not?), a mechanical pencil and my favorite gel pen – a black “glaze” by Sakura, as well as a clear glaze pen so you can add some shiny “pops” of highlight to your creations.
ICAD starter kits
As you can see, I’ve got two sets to give away – one set to someone who leaves a comment on this blog post and one set for a commenter on my Facebook page. No strings attached! And, yes, you can comment both places to double your chances! Of course I’ve got a couple “strings attached” ways for extra entries too. 🙂 If you’ve not subscribed to this blog yet, that can earn you two additional entries (click on the “sign me up” button at the top/right of this page) and if you’ve not signed up for my newsletter that will get you another two entries.
SO? Wanna play? I hope so! I’ll be selecting the random winners on Tuesday morning, May 19th so I’ll have time to get the packages shipped to you before the challenge begins (yes, it’s even free shipping!). Good luck!
Lynne
For more info about this challenge click this image to visit the FAQ page at Daisy Yellow:
A Randomly Creative Blog 