Artistic Journeys

Art Day in the Studio

2012-01-16T08:24:00.004-07:00

Satuday we met at Simone's very own art studio she rents in Denver. It was a very old printing building with wooden floors and ancient trim (and bathrooms).Each room different artist share for their studios. Simone showed us her current work for a juried show she will be in. It was so much fun to get together and talk about ART. We practiced making sumi painting with ink. The chops were made from old erasers carved with linoleum blades with red ink. I decided this wasnt my thing. Here are some of the examples of the finished work of bamboo and plum blossom tree done on rice paper??

Walking the redwoods with Ian

2011-11-05T18:10:00.010-06:00

We are visiting Ian this weekend to see his apartment, campus, and to meet his 4 roomates. We spent the morning walking through the redwood groves in muir national monument. It was a beautiful and different climate with the humidity supporting ferns, moss, and other smells.

Layover in Miami

2011-10-25T09:24:00.006-06:00

Because we had an eight hour layover in Miami, we decided to take a tour of south beach. We rented a 12 person van so our whole group could go together. A bagel at panera was the first stop for breakfast since we were up at 3 am to catch our early flight from santo Domingo. One of the highlights was the architecture in the art deco neighborhood. Since we were too late to join the walking tour, I took some pics on my own and then walked along the water on the beach. I was surprised how nice the area was. The water felt like bathwater and the beach uncrowded. It was fun to see the ornamental buildings and bright pastel colors. Some terms used were eyebrows for the ledges jutting out.There were young people out and about, roller blading, biking, and on segways. It was a nice drive Along highway 1A looking at all the fancy homes and yachts . Finally we had lunch at a Recommended Cuban restaurant called Larios on the beach. The rental guy told us about it and that Gloria Esteban owned it. Relaxing in the bright green beach benches was a great way to finish off the trip. The water was so aqua blue and I hope to come back and do the walking tour.

Sabada Perdita

2011-10-20T21:29:00.008-06:00

The parenting class was held at night and was well attended.

Sabata Perdita is the church/school we have been working at this week. It is in a poorer neighborhood of santo domingo where VisionTrust has a project. Our church has sponsored many children that attend the school ages K-7th grade. Today was the final day we will visit and spent our last afternoon at lunch with the administrator Estephania. She is an amazing cook and baker. She showed us wedding cakes she did on her laptop. We were invited to her lovely home to share closing thoughts. It was unusual to see the chickens, rooster and wild turkey residing in her front yard. We sang some songs together in both Spanish and English. Our group prayed for each other and the future joining of hearts. Later tonight we held our last parenting class up on the roof. There were 60 attendees that listened to Bible references on parenting, discipline, and living as husband /wife. We had a Spanish translator and sang some praise songs in both languages. We saw many kids at church with their Beaded cross necklace from
VBS that morning. After our last goodbyes it was time to head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is a leisure day touring the town and market.

Our mission Team

2011-10-19T17:17:00.004-06:00

One of the benefits of serving in the mission field is forming relationships with those you are serving with. This is my first time organizing a mission trip at PEPC and of course I am learning as I go. On our team we have 7 men and two women. The ages span from 20 to 70's and in-between. Getting to know everyone whether it be working side by side painting, eating breakfast, or riding in our van through dangerous near death intersections, has been a fun part of our trip. Jim can always entertain us with a story from one of the 60 countries he has lived and it's always an adventure what he will say next. Learning to be flexible with dominican timetables has not been difficult with our team. We are all being stretched in our abilities as we share the work and needs of the school whether it be praying with our Dominican families via a translator, organizing games with 75 kids on a roof in 95 degree heat, leading devotions,
Painting faces on a mural, leading worship songs in another language with unfamiliar tunes or communicating with an 8 year old in Spanish. God has used each one of us for his work beyond what we thought we were able to do. Working with our team have been wonderful (and necessary) translators along with the VisionTrust staff who are with us to and from our destinations on the agenda. It has been great getting to hear their stories and the countries they have served in. I know we will form friendships that will bind us together and we will share our stories in church so others may be involved in missions next time. http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq150/dacke8175/0bad05c1.jpg

Hospitality in Sabana Perdita

2011-10-17T20:17:00.003-06:00

We were given an opportunity to visit the community surrounding the project Sabana Perdita. This is an outlying area near Santo Domingo.Several pastors and a translator, Naucho, went along with our group,of 6. We sat down and visited in their homes or out in their backyard area on plastic deck chairs. We asked about their family, children and line of work. One was a manicurist another an ice cream seller. We recognized several of the children that attended the bible school that morning. After asking for any prayer requests, along with a translator we lifted them up to God. Some of the sights were a group of men playing dominos under the shade of a big tree and an unusual vendor announcing his wares on a speaker for buying things. All of a sudden a computer monitor came crashing down from an upstairs window. One house had four generations living under one tiny roof. I took some interesting pictures of the homes and gardens. There was a lot of wrought iron designs in many shapes. All the electricity is obtained illegally as seen in the jumble of wires overhead. The city routinely turns off the electricity to punish those that are tapped in. Many little markets were open for business in the blocks we traveled. All the people seemed happy and content and were very friendly to shake our hands. It was a unique experience to have three native Dominicans show us around and to feel completely safe.

Worship the Dominican way

2011-10-16T20:56:00.001-06:00

Sunday worship in the Dominican republic is usually held in the evening. Tonight we attended Sabada Perdita church (where we will be doing our mission work this week). The music was pretty much awesome as the spirit of God filled the church. Worship started off with a praise team and guitar. After several songs they moved onto soloists leading the congregation one song each, and added keyboard. The people kept coming in with their sunday best until the entire church was full with no seats left. Just about everyone was participating in the singing. Some songs we stood up and then sat down. The music lasted over an hour and the sermon began by pastor Ernie. He had so much energy as he engaged the church members for three hours . He preached on integrity in a corrupt country. I wished we could understand the Spanish of the message. The music was great in any language. Afterwards the Dominicans loved to shake our hands. Since it was pouring, we watched colorful umbrellas bob down the street on their way home. Earlier in the day, I loved walking the neighborhood and seeing how all the houses were built on hills. Our legs got a workout climbing the steep stairs.

The Medieval town of Bergen

2011-07-22T13:09:00.009-06:00

Today was spent exploring the town of Bergen. We had a lovely guide explain the ancient history of the town dating back to the 1100's. Apparently there were numerous fires and each time the homes/shops were repaired. What was so fascinating was the style of the homes built along the wharf called double tenement. They were used for sleeping, working, and storing their goods. Todaynthey contain shops, artist workshops, and preservation projects in process.Bergen was a big fishing town. We learned they had 23 different categories of cod. There was also a castle and tower we toured as well. The biggest surprise was the great weather we had. It is usually always raining but we had two good days. We took the funicular up the hill to see a clear fantastic view of the city. After recapping all the best moments of our awesome trip at dinner, we head home to Denver tomorrow.

Cruising the Fjords

2011-07-21T13:27:00.006-06:00

What is a fjord? Today was an amazing scenery day traveling down the Sognefjord (the longest at 127 miles in Norway). We left our mountain home in Elveseter early this morning to take a gorgeous drive through a national park at the highest point in Norway. We stopped several times to get some pictures of the vibrant green mosses, grass, and lichens. We had a bright sunny day-we could hardly believe it. We boarded our ferry to see the fjords which are Formed from glaciers. They are also shallow near the edge and very deep in the center. The water can be up to 4000 feet below sea level. At the end of our ride, the fjords narrowed and the walls looked so tall. We felt so fortunate to experience God's creation and to have the sun too.

Doug sits up front -click to view whole pic

The lodge we stayed in Elveseater in Norway.

Moving Around in Scandinavia

2011-07-20T14:09:00.007-06:00

Our coach is from a company in Belgium .RS uses Heidelberg buses exclusively.

There are bicycles everywhere in Copenhagen

Riding the T-bana subway in Stockholm
The public transportation is alive and well in Scandinavia. I have never seen so many bicycles than in Denmark. There are even lanes specifically for bikes and they stop at the stoplights. Each city we visited has a city bike program to borrow and return bikes at different locations. On the Island of Aero there are routes for bikes posted on the roads instead of interstate numbers. When we got to Oslo the bikes were less due to the extensive network of subways, buses, and trams. The hilly terrain added to the choice. Probably the most important and surprising reason besides the fact gas is $9 a gallon is the stringent requirements to drive a car. In order to get a license one must pay a $1800 fee for a license at the earliest age of 18 years. In order to buy a car a second charge of 180% tax the cost of the car you are going to purchase. These high fees discourage the use of a car for all but the older family who may have one car. The typical couple in their 20's will not own a car. We used many forms of transportation while in the cities. Our Oslo pass included boat, subway, tram and bus rides. It was a great deal.

Oslo- A Seafaring City

2011-07-19T13:21:00.011-06:00

We spent the whole day in Oslo with our pass to get into practically everything. I think we hit 10 museums not counting subway and boat rides. It really is a good deal. There was a whole island with different boat museums like the Kon-tiki, maritime, Viking ship, and polar fram boat. We learned the Vikings buried the important leaders under their ship with things for the afterlife such as sleds, jewels, weapons,, animals, even a peacock. There were ornately carved sleds on display in the museum. Next I got my art fix with the National Museum and the Edvard Munch museum to see the scream under tight security. The only museum with a metal detector. Lastly we explored the roof of the opera house. Doug's fav was the maritime museum with a panoramic movie adventure through Norway. It was fun to watch the big and small ships come in and out the huge harbor. Baltimore's Harbor seems tiny compared to Oslo. The green parks in Norway are beautifully decorated with vibrant colored flowers everywhere you look. My favorite site was the sculpture park and the unusual sculptures of the famous sculptor of Oslo, Vigeland.

The Viking ship museum

The opera house appears to sink into the water. There were great views as we climbed to the top.Click to see the whole view.

Walking around Oslo- The hometown of our tour guide

CruIsing to Oslo Norway

2011-07-18T14:41:00.007-06:00

This was an amazing park in Oslo with hundreds of sculptures of human forms and shapes, young and old

The Frogner sculpture park all the work of Gustaf Vigeland

A chair to sit in a museum exemplifying the fine design in Denmark

Last night we boarded the cruise ship Pearl Seaways for an overnight to Oslo. It took 18 hours to sail from Copenhagen to Oslo Norway.
I wasnt sure what to expect on our one night cruise that carried 2000 passengers but was pleasantly surprised. Everything was shiny and new just like a week long ship. There was the usual casino, cafes, buffet dinner, discos, and shops. Most of the passengers were Scandinavians on vacation as well as some tourists. Lots of families with small children were heading to the city. In Norway everyone gets 4 weeks paid vacation that they take out a little each week in their salary to get a lump sum in June to spend on their time off. In addition they get the week of Christmas, Easter as well as other Christian holidays. Doug and I made a reservation for the buffet dinner and enjoyed lots of fresh seafood and meats. We were allowed to use any currency of the three we have been using. We paid in Swedish and Danish kroner.

Photography by remolCador

Dining in Scandinavia

2011-07-17T13:35:00.010-06:00

Danish SMØRREBRØD - open face sandwiches.
You can predict one food you will get with every Scandinavian meal. You will always see the mini potatos whether they are served plain or with different spices or a sauce. Our breakfasts have been very hardy. With a selection of three cheeses or more ,freshly baked bread, cold cuts of meat, fresh fruit, and boiled eggs are usual. Yogurt and the BEST coffee are looked forward to each morning. One hotel even had a juicer with quartered oranges to make ourself. Each time I asked the hotel, they had gluten free bread for me. The first night in Sweden we were treated to moose meatballs and elk kabobs. They were tasty but Doug said they were dry. Here are some pics of the SMØRREBRØD's we had. They are an open faced sandwich topped with anything but at the bottom is on piece of rye bread. Salmon was a popular yummy fish I had several times.

Ice cream was Eaten regularly in sweden and Stockholm. One shop had a merry-go-round of waffle machines where she would take out the thin waffle, roll it into a triangular cone, Pour more batter in the machine, rotate onto the next and do the same.
One night in Copenhagen we had dinner in the oldest restaurant that used to be an apothecary. They served the dinner on heated stones 300 degrees with a delicious cut of beef. We cooked it at the table. I was surprised to get beef.

Salad was not very prevalent but sometimes cut cukes, tomatoes, and thousand island dressing were served. Tonight on our overnight ship to Norway I got to try crayfish and marinated herring- popular with the folks here. Doug has been lunching on a hotdog that is stuffed in a French baguette.

Biking the Island of Ærø in Denmark

2011-07-16T09:13:00.008-06:00

Because we were given the whole morning for free time, we decided to rent bikes and do the RS biking tour. It was described as 15 miles and our tour director cautioned us thatnit was too hard and hilly. We thought no problem as we unlocked our bikes from the hotel we had a nifty basket to put our camera and backpack and headed off. The road led us along the water and u shaped farmhouses. After making a wrong turn at the church in Bregninge, Doug began to think we wouldn't make it back for lunch at noon. We had to walk our bikes up the steep hills at times and coasted down the hills. the areas we rode by were quiet and peaceful as we didn't see many people moving about. The weather changed from sunny to cloudy to fog to sun again. We were so fortunate to have a day without rain. We found a shortcut back to Aeroscobing meaning we could only do half the biking tour in 3 hours. After our lunch we did the remaining bike tour with the bus. We visited a neolithic stone burial site and hiked down to a cliff to a beach with cows staring us down the whole way. I enjoyed the bike ride but my legs were tired the rest of the day. Later that night I biked down to the beach by the ferry stop to see the cute pastel colored cottages. They were the size of a playhouse that locals rent for picnics and changing. AEro island was a relaxing ,cute Danish island- a break from the busy city of Copenhagen.

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Denmark- The land of many Islands

2011-07-15T14:40:00.014-06:00

A beautiful sunset tonight on the Island of Aero (10 pm)

Denmark is made up of 600 islands and we are on one tonight. The town of Copenhagen is surrounded by canals since it was such an important trading city. Today we boarded our bus to leave Copenhagen to head for the town of Roskilde. We visited a Viking boat museum and a Cathedral where all the Royalty will be buried. It is a Romanesque style church with lots of gold , painting, and ornamentation inside.

In order to get to our Aero Island, we had to go over the longest suspension bridge in the world, twelve miles, Storken and then we took a ferry- bus and all. This island is only 6 miles by 22 miles long. Our group had to split up in three different accommodations. Some had shared bathrooms, but we lucked out because of Doug's height we got the only hotel instead of a B&B.
The small cottages are very brightly painted and cozy. Hollyhocks are growing everywhere out of holes in the cobblestone.

The Rains of Copenhagen

2011-07-14T08:59:00.012-06:00

One thing we found out about our RS tour. Everything goes on rain or shine. I don't think I have every been so wet in my life. From the beginning of our guided walking tour of Christianshavn and Christiana to the end the rains did not let up. Doug and I had our waterproof jackets and shoes-better off than some but I could of used my waterproof pants. It seemed every Dane had an umbrella and their wellies on today as we passed by searching for overhangs when we could. The most interesting part of Copenhagen today was the independently run area called Christiana. It is colorful counterculture squatters colony. The land is a former military base just a ten minute walk from the Danish parliament building. Our tour was given by a resident who has lived in christiania for 35 years.

He showed us around the cafe, general store, bicycle building ,metalworking, and other craft trade buildings. But most shocking was the walk along Pusher street as a sweet aroma filled the air. We were not permitted to take pics along this street of commerce. Apparently the police take a blind eye to the sales of drugs here. There was grafitti/painting all over the buildings, garbage trucks, and fences. After spending two days in Copenhagen, it was not what I expected. The people are interesting, the canals and building design are pretty, but it is a gritty city - a contrast to Stockholm. Things are not so neat and tidy as i was nearly accosted on the metro.I think I would like it more if the sun would shine. We head back here in a few days after our trip to Aero Island.

The Art in the Castle

2011-07-13T15:02:00.008-06:00

Intarsia woodworking on the walls

The Kalmar Castle in Sweden
How is your Scandinavian History? Today we learned about the Kalmar Union and the Stockholm bloodbath when Denmark invaded Sweden during the time of the Kalmar Castle.Then same King Vasa that built the failed ship resided here with his two sons. We stopped in the city of Kalmar on our way to Copenhagen. I really loved the different art seen in the many rooms. Most impressive was the intarsia technique which is inlaid wood. Various types and sizes of wood were painstakingly cut and puzzled together to form different pictures all around the castle walls and ceiling. There were also the normal tapestries hanging in several rooms. An ornate woodcarved bed was found in the queens chamber. The length of the bed was short because they slept sitting up so not to disrupt the humors or fluids in the body.
There were also frescoes painted in many of the rooms.(can be seen above then dinner table). Frescoes are wet plaster that is painted on.
Some of the artwork was original while others had been restored. The wood panels had wormwood holes in the original pieces. The stairway was made from old tombstones laid down like tile on the steps and landing. We also saw this in the cathedral in Stockholm.
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One of the most interesting displays was the dining table that displayed a swan, peacock, and pigeon that was stuffed. They were mostly for show on the table. The king usually ordered 50-100 dishes for the dinner. There were fish pies sometimes stuffed with live birds. The swan was hollowed out and served with a marzipan dessert. There were eggs displayed on the table that they added a leech to wriggle across the table for fun. The castle tour was very interesting and the best part of the simple town. The whole town attended a rock concert at night that was located outside our hotel front door. We were in the center of the action! Earplugs were supplied on our nightstand.

Rick Steve Rookies

2011-07-12T13:41:00.015-06:00

This is the gote canal where we took our rest stop. To go across the whole country in this man made canal it takes 5 days

Doug and I have been looking forward to our long awaited trip to Scandinavia. We decided to try a "Rick Steve" tour since I loved his books and philosophy. I have been following his humorous walking tours through Paris, London, and madrid on previous trips. I have listened faithfully to his weekly podcasts on my iPod. So this year we booked his best of Scandinavia that is organized but not guided by Rick.
Before we even left we had to sign an agreement that we would carry our Bags up to three flights of stairs, several blocks, be willing to share bathrooms, and survive without air conditioning.

I was hoping for some younger and more active participants. We were very curious about our fellow travelers. As we went around the table on initial introductions, we noticed 3 teenagers and a great variety of ages. But what surprised us most was that most had been on four, five and even seven other rs tours. This was a good sign from the start. The next day we were introduced to the name game and we each had to get with our buddy to interview and share with the group. Often Rick is quoted about that store or restaurant and that is mentioned in the book. I guess there is a good formula, otherwise what keeps people coming back? They learn so much and see a lot.

Recovered Swedish Warship

2011-07-11T12:39:00.003-06:00

The Scandinavians are known for their love of the sea. Yesterday we witnessed all the types water vessels in the city of Stockholm. Today we learned and saw one of the most amazing exhibits that is unique anywhere. Our group ended our day of sightseeing at the Vasa Museum. This is a huge museum built around a recovered warship that sunk to the bottom of the sea after sailing for 20 minutes. It is amazing how beautiful the ship was with 600 wooden sculptures that were brightly painted and 64 cannons. The story reveals how this ship was preserved and lost in the sea for 300 years and then brought up and painstakingly put together
Iike a puzzle. All the ornate detailed carvings were put in their original place. 95% of the wood is the original black oak and the procedure they used was by spraying polyethylene glycol on the wood to dry it out. The reason the ship sank was it's top heavy masts and weight. The ballasts used in the bottom of the boat were not secured rolling stones. This boat was a marvel of technology to preserve and other restorations seek their advice from stockholm's experts. After visiting the old town (gamastan) and the vasa on djurgarden, we had tired feet walking back to our hotel. Tomorrow we head for Kalmar to visit a castle.

Sounds of Stockholm

2011-07-10T14:04:00.016-06:00

After seeing a beautiful sunset departing the plane at 9:20, we arrived at our destination. Our hotel is located on a small street which made me aware of all the sounds of the city. Since there is no ac we threw back our window and doors to let in some air. The tinkling of dishes and wine glasses were heard as we dropped to sleep after our 21 hour travel stint. The next morning I awoke early. After a breakfast of various cheeses, hardboiled egg, and fresh fruit, I venturerd outside this Sunday morning. The sounds were very quiet and peaceful. The cars and voices of people were absent. I walked along the street of our hotel to discover the view to the harbor. From our boat ride later we found out it is actually the Baltic sea. There were two locks to pass through as we moved to the lake and back. The familiar sound of seagulls occasionally screeched overhead as I walked toward the water. The chime of a church could be heard in the distance. While walking to our boat tour, the sky began to cloud up. Soon it was raining heavily and we ran for cover under a large fat tree thick with leaves. As the rain splatted on the sidewalk, We used our umbrella for shelter. .Many different tour and cruise boats glided through the the water without a sound . Bicycles are a major mode of transportation for the locals They could be seen everywhere instead of the noisy, horn beeping cars and taxis. Stockholm is not a loud city and it felt a very peaceful place to live.

Hanging Lake Trail, Glenwood springs

2011-06-23T22:36:00.003-06:00

Today we headed to Grand Junction for the put -in to the Gunnison River Canoe Trip. Debbie and I decided to take a break and do the Hike up to Hanging Lake. I had done this 10 years ago but forgot how steep and rocky this was. Even though the mileage was only 1.2 miles each way, this was classified as a challenging hike. The lake was gorgeous due to the high waters this summer. Hiking up the trail the smells of the green forest evergreen was heaven. We encountered ferns and beautiful wildflowers of many colors. The views as we peered up into the sky were of the sides of the canyon . As we hiked up the boulder covered trail we saw we were getting nearer to our goal. We passed 6 crossover bridges of switchbacks to get to the top. Views of the descending waterfall kept rewarding our ears with the sounds of the fast rushing water. The altitude climb of 1000 ft was apparent as we needed to stop and rest every once in a while. When we got to the lake was it so worth it. The water was so blue and green and the three waterfalls looked like a fairyland. We walked around the perimeter of the lake and could go up to the falls and feel the refreshing mist of the water. There were many teenagers having a great time taking pics of each other climbing up on the rocks as far as they could. Coming down was faster but we were still cautious so we could continue on our adventure tomorrow on the Gunnison river....

Acrylic Painting for my Bedroom?

2011-06-11T07:22:00.006-06:00

I just recently renovated my master bath and needed some new visual elements for my walls. I got the idea of doing two large panels 24 x 36 overtop my dresser. I used the duvet cover as inspiration for my colors. I chose the pattern (and sea blue for the walls) to feel soothing.
I started working on my double panels. Here are some new techniques I experimented with.
My favorite one was the pouring paint in layers. I started with some Lumiere gold paint and mixed with water to dilute it in a paper cup. Then I squeezed the cup to make a spout and poured. The first time it was too thick and I had to add more water. Then I put several more colors on top. Lastly I did a thin line with titan buff and let it touch the other shape. What I really liked was the organic shapes I made with the pouring.
I also collaged some lacy paper on the canvas over the blue color. If a color didnt work I painted over it. When I was finished I liked the painting but didnt think it was a very restful painting. I hung it in my loft for now. Im still working on my other canvas and Im keeping it more subdued with beiges and lighter colors. Ill keep you posted...

Garden Home Show Artistic Creations

2011-03-09T12:18:00.005-07:00

I was amazed at the designs I saw at the Denver Garden and Home show. They used different parts of plant to make such unusual creations. The colors and shapes are inspiration for future pieces of art and collage. Some of the plants I didnt even know what they were. I wish they had listed the materials used on their display.

Canvas, Corkscrews and Collage

2011-02-13T15:33:00.007-07:00

We celebrated Stacey's birthday at Canvas and Corkscrews friday night. I was hesitant to go since I felt everyones looked the same. The night before I gathered paper, images , gel medium and extra paint to bring along. I added the collage element to mine and it turned out to be a fun night.

This is my finished piece. I layered magazine pages, hand painted paper, tissue paper, and mulberry paper before I added the tree. I covered with gel medium and then painted over with the greens, blues , and beige. I rubbed off some of the paint to let the patterned paper show through. Lastly, I painted the trees on and collaged some leaves on top . I added some burlap and a cut out paper fence.

Here is the demonstrated piece. It was interesting how they used negative space to paint the tree. First the red was painted, then the background, lastly , other colors were added to the sky.

Snowshoeing Rocky Mountain National Park

2011-02-01T19:32:00.004-07:00

What Ive been up to is snowshoeing in our beautiful state of colorado. Im learning the ins and outs of equipment and clothing to wear. After test driving a pair of borrowed snowshoes, I bought some from craigslist. I already had some hiking poles I could use. Now Im trying to get the layering thing figured out. Wind shell, vest , polarfleece, wool shirt. two pairs of gloves.

Last Weekend we had 5 carpools of 26 people meet at Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove to the Bear Lake Trail Head and took the Emerald Lake Hike. It was about 4 miles. We passed by 3 lakes and walked right over them. There was a photographer getting some close up frozen lake shots with his tripod. Afterwards, we headed over to Oskar Blues an artsy pub in Lyons.
It was a fun day.

I think the scenery in the park may be better in winter than in the summer. The snow and rocks on the mountains proved to be one photo opportunity after another.

My Art Quilt Layout

2010-11-10T17:54:00.004-07:00

After making our fabric designs and practicing stitching, now we had to put together our own art quilts. We had to make sure our piece was balanced and colors blended well together. Here are two designs I came up with. We are using wonder under to adhere the pieces and also stitching some areas together.

Free Motion Stitching

2010-11-09T23:54:00.004-07:00

For this Week in our Fiber Class it was time to get out the sewing Machine. We practiced something called Free Motion Stitching. You use a special foot (see Below) that allows you to glide over your fabric without rotating the material. You have to disengage the teeth under the foot so it doesnt grab and move the fabric you are stitching. Here are some different shapes we practiced. We also stitched over a piece of fiber yarn. It was fun to do once I got the hang of it.
We used a sandwich to practice our stitches on. There was two pieces of muslin with a layer of batting. We used very thin batting made of wool. Not the cheap polyfil type. To hold the layers together we used a spray adhesive from a can. Our teacher, Jo , prefers to use safety pins.
We had a sub teacher today that was awesome, Susan. Her quilts she showed us were beautiful. Next week we start piecing our own art quilt together.

Batik on Fabric

2010-10-31T20:16:00.005-06:00

In our next class we created fabric using the batik dyeing. We used two kinds of wax. Soy wax can be washed out but beeswax must be ironed out of the fabric between newspapers. Hopefully I can use some of my finished fabrics in my art quilt. Jo showed us how to do the dye baths to get such vibrant color. Next week we practice free motion stitching.

We used brushes and tools to apply the wax before we dyed. You could make thin or thick lines -even shapes. Then we put our fabrics in the dye baths. Wherever the wax was painted or applied, the fabric stayed white. The wax acted as a resist.

Marbling in my Fiber art class

2010-09-30T21:22:00.004-06:00

Im taking another class at the Denver Art League. This time I signed up for a Fiber art quilt collage. Today we did marbling with some fabric pieces. We used acrylic paint with a pipette dropper. I couldnt believe how vivid the colors were. Our class is very small only four peeps!.

We tried various types of fabrics to see the effects. I even used felt. We will use one or two designs in our final piece. This will give us some inspiration. Our homework this week was to look for some design ideas. We will be doing some other techniques next week.

This is the pan before we pulled a design on the fabric. It was so Much fun!

Color Theory Class- Monochromatic color mixing

2010-08-15T23:32:00.004-06:00

For this assignment, we had to create a drawing on small size paper (5 x 8) four times and then paint them four different ways. I chose to draw from a photograph I took in Seattle of calders sculpture with the seattle needle peeking through.

One painting used all 12 values of the color and the other paintings used only half the values.

See if you can guess which painting was the darker shades, which was the lightest tints and which painting used the values in the middle. We discussed how each painting gave a different mood and which painting we liked the best.

Making a Book Club Journal

2010-08-15T23:26:00.005-06:00

This was a journal I made for my mom's bday. It was covered with paper that I silkscreened onto heavy art paper. The stitch I used was a coptic binding. I photocopied pages that had lines for authors name, book, and comments. My mom belongs to several book clubs and I have one and it is handy to remember all the books Ive read.

Below is the inside spread that I used stickers to spell Book club record.

Values Charts and More Color

2010-07-04T05:33:00.004-06:00

This was our next project in my color theory class. The scan did not come out too dark but we had to take a few colors and mix white with them to get the tints. Jane had a technique she taught us that you started with the dark color first and added the white to it. This was different than I teach mixing colors. Next we mixed all our colors on the mixing paper side by side at once and then added or took away some of the mixed colors until we had 9 that were distinctively different. Sometimes the colors I mixed jumped too far to the darker color and I had to remix with more white. The second black chart was better the second time.

My Color Chart

2010-06-27T23:42:00.003-06:00

This was our first assignment in my Color Theory Class. This took lots of time to mix each color with each other. I used 23 different colors and listed them along the top and the side. We had to mix them equally (or try to) and paint the result in the square in the middle. It was interesting all the different colors you can get from 23 colors. There were many different shades of green and brown and orange. I am still not finished . I cropped it to look full. We are supposed to complete it by the end of the class.

My Color Theory class at the Denver Student Art League

2010-06-03T23:00:00.003-06:00

Tues night Kim and I started our new art class taught by Janie Jones. The first night we didnt get to use our paints (above) We had to bring only primaries which included cool and warm colors of each one.
The entire class was lecture and I learned alot I didnt know about color and how you choose colors in your painting. Here are some tips that I remembered:
Color is very emotional, Yellow and red are used for fast food signs and ads. Red makes you hungry and yellow makes you leave, sit down restaurants use blue and green in their decor for relaxing and staying there to eat.

Colors are perceived differently depending on what other colors are around them. So a color can be bright, intense, dull if compared to something that is less.

Dark colors are hard to tell what they look like, by adding white to it, you can see the color clearly.

There are different color harmonies you can use in your painting . i.e. analagous, complementary,triads. A good way to decide what colors to use in your painting is to start with a limited few colors to give the backbone for your color, then add other colors . Use a limited pallette gives unity to your painting.

Complementary colors give contrast and more intense color. This is excited by the eye.

Adding Black to a color can make it dead looking. There are different types of blacks like mars black, ivory black and lamp black. They all look different so experiment.

When you add white, you dull the color.

We learned that on the back of the pain tubes a code tells if your color is transparent, opaque, semi-transparent.
We were given an assignment to make a giant color chart from mat board. This should be helpful when mixing colors.

Notecards from my Collage

2010-05-26T23:37:00.004-06:00

I Wanted to make some thank yous for all my great Volunteer parents in my art class. I found a collage page in my altered book and scanned it. Then I cropped it to 4 x 6 and put 4 copies on a page. Then I printed them onto watercolor paper. I mounted them on cardstock and even got to use my new stamper on the back. Im giving them out tomorrow during field day. Thank you Volunteers!!!!

Art Journal Techniques

2010-05-09T16:48:00.002-06:00

I Have been spending some time trying our some new art materials and techniques in my art journal I made. This page uses reinkers to make bold colors that really cover. They come in little squirt bottles and I used a credit card to spread the color. One drawback is the length of time they take to dry if you get too much on the paper. The only place I could find to buy them was on Joann fabrics and they have lots of brands and frequently go on sale. I also used some collage and outlining with my new Copic markers. (They write on everything)
This page used reinkers as well and some collaging. I havent started actually journaling (writing) much on the pages yet. I have been learning these techniques through an online tutorial by Millanade. Here is the link to her great resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX6CnqgK_e4&feature=related
This page incorporated a tree and images and a gel transfer pic (on the right side) Didnt come out so well. I then drew over the background with my marker and painted with the diluted reinker with a brush. Below I used watercolor paint and outlined with my marker. There is so much to do with color and paint.

Moore in the Gardens

2010-04-20T22:20:00.005-06:00

I attended an educators day at the Denver Botanic Gardens featuring a guided tour of the new Moore Sculpture Exhibit.

This sculpture is entitled Oval with Points. Moore got his inspiration from an elephants skull. The negative space is so interesting in this one.

The Hill Arches is Moores most Abstract work. This was covered in acid to get the green look. There is an orb in the center.

The Knife Edge is two sculpture pieces like a ravine. This has an organic theme.

Altered Art Baroque Collage

2010-04-07T23:35:00.007-06:00

This was a painting I started in Lynne Perella's class "Go Baroque" at Artfest. We started with a photocopy of a person and collaged it onto a gessoed background. We started with a type of paper called roisin paper. It was very large two feet by 4 feet. Then we used Portfolio oil pastels to color the background and the body and face of our subject. We also added acrylic paint and strips of patterned paper to give the baroque feel. We chose some black and white copies of architecture to include in the painting. THis was so much fun to do. I would like to do a smaller one next using some of the same techniques. The hair was composed of paper napkin roses. Real ribbon for the neck.Lynne was a great teacher and helped each student the whole day.

Back from Artfest

2010-04-02T23:43:00.006-06:00

We had a great time in Port Townsend, WA at our second time to Artfest. Here we are with our teacher Karen Michel in the woodblock collage class. There was alot of hammering going on. This was a fun class, we learned how to give a patina to the wood with ink.

One night they had journaling by the beach get together. There was a bonfire with hotdogs and s'mores and beverages one night. Here are some gals working on their journals.

Everything was so green in Seattle. I was such a welcome to spring. The drive from Seattle (about 3 hours including ferry ride) was beautiful, full of flowers, trees and everything growing from all the humidity there.

We spent a day at Seattle- here is pike market with all the seafood lined up. We also had some chowder, mussels, clams and dungeness crabs. We dont get that in Denver.

Here is the Olympic Sculpture park in Seattle. This is one of Calders sculpture.

Trades ready for Artfest

2010-03-19T17:40:00.005-06:00

I finally finished my trades to take on Tuesday!! I started with a watercolor painting and shrunk it down to attach to my charms. The charms are the Artfest logo printed on some hand made marbling paper I made this year. These are my first charms. I think wire and jewelry making are not my thing. Im also bringing a few atc cards and a piece of encaustic collage to sell at the artfest table. Only 4 more days....

Remembering Artfest

2010-03-17T23:20:00.003-06:00

The Countdown is on until we leave for Artfest. Here is a Colored Pencil drawing I did of a beach scene from last time we attended (3 years ago) This photo was taken at sunset with beautiful pinks, peaches and blues. I shrunk this down to small size to attach to my charms I will be trading next week. I am excited to take some collage and sculpture classes.

Visiting Embrace Exhibit at Denver Art Museum

2010-03-08T21:06:00.005-07:00

Last Saturday was a free day at the DAM so I decided to check out the exhibit I will be taking my 8th graders to later this month. This was entirely held in the new Contemporary building and they really took advantage of all the varied space and angles the architecture supports.
Each artist was given a corner or wall to create on. Most all the art was made when they got there. There is an exhibit with time lapse video and pictures to show the step by step processes.

This is a room downstairs by the gift shop. The artist Matthies wanted to emphasize different words immigrants felt throughout the world. This is really a hands on exhibit with cushions to lie on and sculpture to touch.
This was an exhibit I deemed inappropriate for my 8th graders entitled Dying Christ is rushed to the hospital by Shishkin. This includes a whole room to appreciate. The drop cloths used while painting are still in place.
This hanging sculpture by McEnroe was really interesting. They have cell phone codes you can play for each exhibit. (Unfortuneatly the reception is not good in the rooms) This was entitled Bathers. He used pantyhose filled with sand. Then he coated them with polyresin and drained out the sand after it was hard. I love the shapes and the shadows created in the exhibit. This is found on the fourth floor.

I couldnt find out alot of info on the exhibits as I would of liked to. I tried all the cell phone numbers but I would of liked some printed material as well. I would highly recommend this
exhibit as its something different containing all the installations. You can walk through as be a part of. There were many new exhibits on the fourth floor I hadnt seen last time I went. This is the last month to see this. So hurry over.

Art Journal in Progress

2010-03-04T09:12:00.004-07:00

My New Art Journal is ready for Artfest. I just need to fill with some completed pages. I used the Coptic binding method with watercolor paper. The cover is done on pastel paper Canson Mi-Teintes with gold acrylic paint (paste paper technique) covered over bookboard. The size is 9x12 and nice and light to travel with.

There is a night at Artfest when everyone brings their journals and create at night. There is even a bonfire. Im hoping for nice weather again.

Coptic Postcard Book

2010-02-07T21:55:00.006-07:00

This was a practice project for my Art Journal I will be making to take to Artfest. I looked all over to find the perfect size journal with the heavyweight paper . I wanted something a little larger than a page and would lie flat. I decided to make my own out of watercolor paper and a Paste paper cover. (I will post when I finish) Anyway I thought it was best to practice first so I saw this great idea for a postcard book using the stitch I wanted to sew. This was from a great book called How to Make Books by Smith: http://tinyurl.com/yjsl5zd

This book was really quick and fun to do. Besides the directions in this book, I used a you tube video to help me as well. I glued two postcards together for the front and 2 for the back. Then created 6 signatures with 4 spreads. I would use a darker waxed linen thread to show up better on my journal. You use a kettle stitch to make the neat line down the spine. I had to take out the last signature because you sew the back cover and the last signature together so it ripped a bit. All the more reason to practice. If you have been wanting to sew a book , this is pretty easy. I have done about 3 or 4 different classes to try bookmaking. I find it relaxing and fun.

Fat Book Pages Finished!

2010-02-07T21:38:00.005-07:00

I am getting so excited to be attending Artfest this year near Seattle Washington with 3 friends. One of the fun things to do is to make pages to be included in the Artfest Fatbook. Each person makes one page and duplicates for how many people participating (53 this year) We mail them off to the hostess who binds the book with one page from each Artist. What a great remembrance of the trip! Anyway our theme this year was FairyTales. I chose the three little pigs and did a collage of this scene. Here is a picture of my finished fatbook from 2007. This was the last year I could attend the event. I can only go when my school has spring break since it starts on a wednesday.

Christmas Tree Zentangle

2009-12-30T19:29:00.003-07:00

This is my latest Zentangle project. I created a tree and made cards for my volunteer helpers in my art class. I drew with .5 micro pens on watercolor paper and then scanned and duplicated on my computer. Finally I priinted onto 80 lb watercolor paper.

Dead Sea Fish Collage

2009-12-03T00:34:00.006-07:00

I created this collage from a photo I took on my trip to Israel. This was on of our meals near the Dead sea. The fish was Tilapia.
I used various textures of different papers: wallpaper, magazine colors, starbuck bag to simulate the color. I tried to add darker shades to give value. This took forever but was fun to do. I painted my canvas with the color I intended to collage as a guide.

Watercolor Leaf Collage

2009-11-06T23:52:00.004-07:00

I started with a Watercolor painting from traced leaves. I used salt and splatter textures. Then I added texture and shapes with fibers, tissue paper, mulberry, and string paper. I just love all these fall colors this time of year!

Wool Felting

2009-10-16T08:24:00.003-06:00

This was another class were we stated with merino wool (undyed on the bottom) and layed colored wool on top to form our design. With agitation (bubble wrap) and soap and hot water we felted all the colors together to make a piece of art. You can use this to make a purse or case for my sketchbook. When it is felted you can cut it and it wont unravel.

Monoprints with Serge

2009-10-14T21:37:00.003-06:00

I had the privilege of taking a class with Serge who is a professor at UNC in his expertise of Printing. The type we did is Trace Monoprints. We learned how to properly ink our plate and used different tools to draw our design on the plate. Then we ran the plate through his press to get a Ghost print. We used oil based ink that cleaned up easily with vegetable oil and Simple green spray. We immediately could add color with watercolor. So much fun!

Collage in a Box

2009-10-12T09:39:00.003-06:00

I just came back from a great conference in Breckenridge where I was able to take 10 different classes in art! How great it that?
This was a collage in a box I made in relation to an artist Joseph Cornell. We looked at lots of his work and then set about cutting a frame in our box and covering the outside with Gesso. We covered the inside with papers, wood, objects,shells, sticks, whatever to represent our dreams or our passions. Some objects I included were music for my singing, travel globe, acorn and shell from my home in NJ shore.

The Art of Baking Bread

2009-09-26T17:58:00.006-06:00

This Summer I found that I was allergic to things with gluten. (gluten-free) And since bread is one of my favorite foods I had go learn all over again baking bread with gluten free flour. This was very difficult because usually they are hard as bricks and the high altitude makes is even harder to get the recipe right. I was given a new breadmaker for my birthday and today was the first loaf of bread that actually came out decent. I bought a Zojirushi BBCC-X20 that you can program especially for gluten free baking. This is a raisin bread loaf that was yummy.Here are some bagels that I made. They were rye flavored and tasted great. I got the recipe from the current issue of Healthy Living.

Tryptich Book and altered photos

2009-08-21T00:06:00.004-06:00

This was a book I made from a class I took in Fort collins by Kelly Kilmer. It was alot of fun to make the book and then paint the pages with different techniques.

Its called a Tryptch book because it has three sections that fold in.

Another part of the class included altering photos. We used sandpaper, stencils, paint, glitter and other items to change the photos and make them interesting. I mounted them in my book I made.

The best photos for this seemed to be ones of a large closeup of single objects. Kelly brought some photos of hers we could use. Here are some of the pages.

I would like to try this with my photography class this year with the photos they take. Sewing the book will be a little challenging but I think they can do it. Last year we sewed a book and they did well with it.

Making Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

2009-07-15T16:22:00.005-06:00

This is one of my finished invitations. I used thin watercolor paper and drew some flower outlines with ink. Then I filled them in with some watercolor. I mounted this on some peach cardstock. This is her wedding color. Now I need to address the envelopes and buy some nice stamps.

My Glorious Garden

2009-07-13T21:53:00.004-06:00

Being from Colorado we hardly ever get rain in the summer and by July everything is dead and looks like the sahara desert along the road. (Unless its sprinkled) This year we have had SO much rain that I am so proud of my garden this year. It has been fun to watch it bloom and grow. Here is my front porch with my waterfall I made myself several years ago. I have to take out the pump every winter since it gets so cold and I readjust the rocks every time. I keep adding new shrubs around the waterfall as we tear out the ugly evergreens that take over. All the planters I put together myself. Even my clematis (on the far left) keeps on blooming. Its amazing what some rain will do.

Collage on Foamcore

2009-06-28T21:43:00.006-06:00

Here are some close ups of the long panel.

We had another Art night Last Friday and we worked on an unusually long collage on foamcore. First we trimmed it to the length and shaped the top. After laying out our images we glued them down and painted around them. We added another color and some other papers and text. Then I blended the colors together with Carand'ache crayons and wrote some description about the theme which was Travel. Lastly we hot glued a ribbon and did some splattering. Click to see the detail.

Prague has all the Art Museums in the Architecture

2009-06-15T20:06:00.005-06:00

I loved going inside all the churches and seeing the beautiful decor and art inside as well as outside. This is Tyns church. Beautiful Gothic Style.
The Castle is in the background. It was set on a hill. St.

This building shows the Art Nouveau Style that is prevalent in Prague. Beautiful!

Back from a Wonderful Trip

2009-06-14T06:15:00.011-06:00

This is the first stop on my journey to a small village , Pisek, in the Czech Republic. We sang in the public park, visited high schools to tell about america and practice their English. We visited and sang in a nursing home and attended a women's club. We helped the women practice their English and hoped they would attend the church at Elim. This bridge is the oldest in eastern Europe even older than the Charles Bridge in Prague.
This is a pen and ink sketch I did one morning of the old bridge in pisek. I added some watercolor when I got home. The bridge had lots of stone sculptures all across the bridge.

Here is a pen and ink drawing of the Garden Tomb where Jesus was believed to be buried. This was a beautiful place full of flowers. We had communion here with our church group on Sunday.

Teaching an Art class

2009-05-18T16:42:00.008-06:00

I taught a class in South Denver with some of my artist friends. We used watercolors and masking fluid to transfer a roman column or some did a cross. After rubbing off to reveal the white watercolor paper, we colored with markers and watercolor pencils. Then we added different collage pieces. I was trying this out to teach my 8th grade next year.

This painting used a transparency as the last step.

Beeswax collage

2009-05-17T07:59:00.003-06:00

I learned to make this at my artiscape workshop by Lisa . We used small 6 x 6 canvas and covered with text and images we chose. Next step was to cover with beeswax. Then we added color and mulberry paper with crayola crayon. Then we added pressed flowers. I did a tissue overlay for the archery details.

Belgian Binding 2 Step Book

2009-05-11T09:07:00.003-06:00

This was a book we made at my workshop. We started with paper and bookboard so we made the whole thing. No cut outs ahead. As a result, this class ran 6 hours and we still didnt finish. I had to google to find the directions. The inside is a really neat binding you cant see from here with spider stitches I think she called them. The outside consisted of 3 pieces and you had to move the waxed linen on top and on bottom to catch the inside signatures as well. I enjoyed this binding but the instructor was very unorganized and had no handouts to help us. I dont know if I could make it again. The size is 5 x 8. We covered the front and inside with gorgeous papers from the European paper shop.

More Artwork from my Workshop

2009-05-04T09:24:00.003-06:00

I finished this in Ohio on my workshop with Zana. We took 4 pieces of illustration board and used spray watercolor with templates for the texture. Then we collaged and stamped and put them together. I would like to try this with my class using watercolor paper and botanical leaf prints. I will perfect this over the summer. I liked adding extra pieces like a photo covered puzzle piece, torn and painted paper and some metallic touches.

Watercolor architecture collage

2009-04-27T07:36:00.005-06:00

This was a collage I did at my artiscape class. We started with a drawing of a roman column of our choice . After drawing in pencil , we went over with masking fluid. Next we sprayed liquid watercolor in our choice of colors. After rubbing off the fluid, we used markers and colored pencils to add color to the now white column. Lastly various paper, wood and other elements were added and rubber stamps to finish the piece. We used illustration board for the background but I would like to try with watercolor paper and tape to a board first. I plan to try this with my 8th grade next month.

Queen Altered Book Spreads finished!

2009-04-12T22:23:00.008-06:00

This is a new altered book I started from an online blog class. It has been really fun. 100 people signed up to participate and each week we have to post pics and info about each lesson. It keeps you working and creating to keep up with the class. We are on week 4 now.

This background was a credit card technique where you smear different colors.

We made a color wheel and tried some sgraffito.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T16:26:00.002-06:00

Today it was raining and snowing during the drive home for our Easter service . Our choir sang and we had a good turnout of umbrellas this morning.

Age of Innocence ATC

2009-04-04T08:28:00.002-06:00

This is an atc I made for an upcoming workshop called Artiscape in Columbus. I used a skyline of NYC and framed it with strips of map of the area. This theme is from the movie "Age of Innocence" that takes place in NYC. Lastly I added some wire art on top with some sead beads. I am so excited to go in 2 weeks. I will be taking classes in belgian book binding, Zia's soul map collage, architectural collage, and encaustic canvas collage. I will get to stay with my daughter who lives nearby and explore the sites of Columbus.

Skagway altered board book-Alaska

2009-03-19T16:38:00.002-06:00

This spread represents the day spent in Skagway. This was the town where the people headed to the goldrush from. We took a walking tour with a ranger and learned about the city. Top right is a colored pencil sketch I did of the street. We also went to Haines a neighboring town that had a ferry to take you. We got on a bus and drove to the eagle preserve for a boat ride. We saw a few eagles but the best was a mom and 3 baby cubs by the river catching fish. We got pretty close. There were flowers in haines the size of dinnerplates. They were amazing!!

Art Journal

2009-03-17T21:33:00.002-06:00

This an art journal I made from papers printed using paper towel. This was from a Class I took from Traci Bautista. We used stencils and textured wallpaper, wooden shapes to make the prints onto paper after we saturated the paper towel with liquid watercolor. We assembled 4 signatures of our hand printed paper and sewed them onto the cover which was made from the paper towels collaged on front and back. Traci has a great DVD Retro Rags that explains the whole technique. My 8th graders loved making this project and I made one too. It was fun. This time my book came out much better and I was able to sew the book straighter and tighter. I look forward to a class Im taking next month at Artiscape- Two part belgian binding.

Ketchikan Altered Book

2009-03-14T17:49:00.004-06:00

Here is the continuing board book I'm working on from our trip to Alaska last summer. This page was done with sponge painting for the clouds with other acrylics to look like the water. We had a great time kayaking here. Twelve family members joined us from age 7 on up to myself. That is myself in the kayak with the sunglasses. Some of us had the younger nieces and nephews in the middle with a triple kayak. We were amazed at the huge bull kelp we saw in the water. This town was very touristy and I wish we would of gone farther North to kayak to get away from the constant noise of the float planes taking off.

Vintage Paris Happy Birthday!

2009-03-08T12:47:00.004-06:00

I had another birthday this month, my daughter, Ashley so I made her a card I thought she would like. I used rubber stamps and some collage papers and silk flowers I painted with acrylics.

Empty Bowl Fundraiser

2009-03-07T07:46:00.003-07:00

Last Night I volunteered at the bowl table. This was my first year to go. The people came by in crowds to pick their one bowl they got with their ticket. My job was to restock the table with bowls underneath. I enjoyed chatting with the other volunteers, a local roller derby team and starbuck employees.
There were many styles, shapes, and colors. The local high schools also participated.
For your ticket you got all the soup you wanted (8 kinds but only 2 left by the time I got to eat) and bread and dessert. I saw a few friends there and talked to them awhile. It was a good cause for the womens shelter in castle rock.

Alaska board book "Juneau"

2009-03-04T16:45:00.003-07:00

I finished another spread representing another stop on our Alaska trip last summer.
In Juneau my parents joined us in a van trip to the fish hatchery, shrine of st therese, and mendenhall glacier. I used splatter paint and tissue paper to alter this book. Next up is Ketchican.

Fat Book Pages finally done!

2009-02-25T21:17:00.002-07:00

Here are all 42 pages ready to be mailed for the Artiscape Fat Book. The theme is the "Age of Innocence". I used watercolor paper and splashed coffee stains and acryllic paint splatters on the background. Then I collaged some pics of women and a NYC train ticket. On the back was a clock rubber stamp and some map collaged on. I put my blog address on the bottom of the page. I was so excited to actually have a blog this year. I look forward to seeing everyone's pages in April.

Happy Birthday Collage

2009-02-16T23:24:00.005-07:00

This is a birthday card collage I made for my Dad for his birthday on Wednesday. He likes to travel so that is the theme I chose. I used splatter paint for the background and added different pictures and stamps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy Zentangle Valentines Day!

2009-02-13T08:46:00.004-07:00

Here are my finished zentangles in heart style. I tried to use the official thread planning in my square. I only learned this from reading the websites-self taught. Click on the image for a better view. I hope to learn more when I go to an art retreat in April that is actually teaching this zentangle method. I will know more then. Try this fun and quick art doodle. Have a great Heart Day. My sweetheart is taking me out to a play downtown saturday.

Narrative Collage

2009-02-11T17:16:00.004-07:00

This is a style of collage to tell some kind of story with text and pictures. I chose my son's upcoming marriage and used different things to describe their relationship and interests.
I started with layers of text below the actual collage and then painted the background. Painted papers were used as collage as well as images. Finally charcoal was used to outline the main images and text.

Zentangle Valentine

2009-02-10T06:49:00.003-07:00

Has anyone else been making these? It took me a while to come up with a thread that used the corners for the image. Im working on two more.

Floral Watercolor Card

2009-02-08T07:14:00.004-07:00

This is for a birthday card for my friend, Stacey. I used lots of layers and tried to get a 3-d effect. This is small 4 x 6 mounted on cardstock. Im going to try to print some on strasmore art paper to make more cards.

At the Pottery Wheel

2009-02-05T21:35:00.003-07:00

I started making some bowls on the wheel today for the March fundraiser in our local area. Every year attendees pay for a bowl and get some dinner with it. This raises money for the Douglas county shelter for women. I hope to get 6 made to donate. I will have my middle schoolers glaze them for me.
They have not had much luck making pots themselves so far.

Collage in my "House "Series

2009-01-17T16:11:00.007-07:00

This is a collage I finished today. I started a while back when I made my other house collage. I tried to stay with a burnt sienna and rust theme with the blue added in. I used a lot of brown chalk to outline and blend. This seemed to give it some depth. Lots of layers are here. I started with some glued down text, music score, and ledger paper. Then layers of tissue paper and lace rice paper for the sky. After gessoeing the houses , I started adding texture with different papers. I also used stamps and rub ons. I have one more house spread in my altered book I’m working on. I love architecture so houses appeal to me. Thanks for stopping by.

EDM sketches for the New Year.

2009-01-04T20:47:00.004-07:00

This is a fun lamp I picked up at a yard sale. It
reminds me of the art noveau style. It has water
lily metal base. It was fun but a little difficult
to draw.

Reorganizing My Studio

2009-01-04T17:29:00.004-07:00

I spent all weekend getting my studio in shape. It used to be my son's room until he moved off to college in Indiana. Now, he doesnt get home much so I decided to get things cleaned up. I went to Target and got these neat containers and labeled them to be able to sort and find things. The second picture is my TV and dvd so I can watch art videos while I am creating. Im still working on that. I also need to get some of my art matted and hung in the room to make it bright and colorful. Now Im all ready to create!!

Altoid Tin Ornaments

2008-12-25T00:05:00.005-07:00

Here are some Altoid tin Ornaments I had fun making this week. Im going to use them to put some gift cards in. I got the images from my free Christmas Images on my Blog from Go make something. I had a hard time finding long beaded trim. Surprisingly the best I found were at wal mart today. Have fun Creating this Holiday Season!!

Traveling by Train in Alaska

2008-12-24T21:07:00.003-07:00

I wanted to finish one more spread in my book before I took it home to Christmas to share with my family. They all went with us to this trip in July. Here we are getting ready to get on the cruise in Seward. We took a train from Anchorage where everyone flew in to meet. We had 24 family members go on this vacation celebrating my mom and dads 50th anniversary!
The picture is a sketch of me and my son inside the train. I did this on watercolor paper. The pictures to the left were pics seen on the way. It was fun to have the whole car full of our family trading seats and catching up with one another. Merry Christmas!!

Alaska board book spread

2008-12-15T16:44:00.005-07:00

I finished another spread in my board book from our Alaska trip this past weekend. We took a ferry trip across the Prince William Sound from Valdez to Whittier. Unfortuneately the weather was not the best so we didnt see as much as we could have. We did see some seals, and otters. I collaged a map of the land next to the sound where we went with paper of glacier photographs. I drew in the glacier areas with a white paint pen and labeled the many glaciers we passed. This is a photo of my son on the hull of the ship with a thin jacket as teenagers do. I thought it was funny with the oldsters all bundled up.

Zentangle Doodle

2008-12-14T23:53:00.008-07:00

This is the first Zentangle I tried to make. I worked on this all weekend during the downtime of my three choir performances. I hate to set around without keeping my hands busy and this was a great use of time. I wanted to try these out on my middle schoolers. After I finished and did more research on this art form, I realized the size is supposed to be 3 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches. So the next one I did the official size.

How many of you have tried this "doodle" style?
It is supposed to be relaxing and stress relieving.

Marie Antoinette Award!! My first blog award!

2008-12-13T08:32:00.013-07:00

Thanks to Val from Val's Altered HeART Journey who gave me this award. You can see her link on my favorite sites. Im so excited and told all my friends and family. I still have some friends Im trying to convince to start a blog too.
Link to the award: http://valsalteredheartjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/oh-my-goodness-ive-been-given-another.html

I started this blog 5 months ago and it has been alot of fun. I encourage all you lurkers to start one. Its a great way to meet other artists online and to see others who have similar art interests.

I love many kinds of art and its so hard to decide what type to concentrate on. I love sketching and watercolor and also mixed media collage. Since I teach middle school art, I get to try out some things on them. After Christmas break, Im teaching two new electives: 1.Collage and printing , 2. sculpture. So I will get to post some new subjects as I go.

Thank you Val for giving me this award. I love all your collage work and all the textures you show on them. Go see Val's amazing work. She is so talented and lives in Colorado too. Maybe some day we will meet in person??

The people I chose here are supposed to post the award on their blogs, link to the person who gave it them, and then pass it on to seven other bloggers if you are so inclined, and link to them. Congratulations, all you fine artists.

1.Margaret Storer-Roche
http://waterblossoms.blogspot.com
I love her artwork sketching and painting of all the beautiful places around where she lives in Arizona and her travels. She is amazing how she is always creating something and her blog layout is gorgeous!! I dont think she misses a day. I didnt realize she was a middle school teacher as well. I love checking her blog and you will too!!

2. Martha Brown
http://m-is-for-martha.blogspot.com
I love all her great altered art of many varieties. Check out her blog!

3. Sandy
http://myfiddlestix.blogspot.com
I love her sketchings with color. Such great perspective and a variety of subjects. Always fun to check out!!

4. Anne Cough
http://bullesdorees.blogspot.com/
She has fantastic altered art . I especially love the houses. She videos all her art to see it from all views. check it out.

5. Anita Davies
http://artbyanita.blogspot.com/
I love her sketching and painting. She has so many interesting journals. I enjoy seeing all the architecture and scenes around her UK home.

Collage Finally Finished!!

2008-12-11T08:43:00.005-07:00

Here are some finishing touches:
I found a tropical plant ( bird of paradise?) and cut it out as a focal point for the center of my collage. I added another fish picture and some mulberry paper torn to look like organic elements in the lower left. I glued on a real shell. I found a red matisse shape and cut that out on the top area. I put some rice paper (lacy type) over some hard edges to soften and bring the colors together. A little bit more tissue paper to fill in and its done!!

Step 3 on my Collage

2008-11-23T07:44:00.005-07:00

Here I added more printing elements: We made styrofoam prints, here is a fish on the center left, I made a shell print with that foamy hairdryer substance on the bottom. Another printed paper is in the center as a thin strip (orange and light blue) This was a print from a Traci Bautista class using paper towels and liquid watercolor. Get her book, its great!! There is some paste paper techinique on the right side (blue) I cut into the shape of waves. I added some net on the bottom keeping with the undersea theme. Here and there I put bits of mulberry paper to fill in holes or cover up sharp edges.

Collage- part 2

2008-11-22T00:08:00.008-07:00

Here I added some papers with text and map paper. Also some tissue paper to start to fill in the canvas. I am also trying to keep with handprinted or handmade papers. I will describe them as I add them. The paper in the top left hand corner is paper that was stamped with a text rubber stamp on tan paper.

Collage in Progress

2008-11-21T23:59:00.006-07:00

Last week at Art Monday, we started a collage using different types of printing methods. We used foam plate printing and collograph. I picked the theme of Ocean/Caribbean/fish. We only got as far as the printing part. So Im posting the collage at each step to share with my artist friends.

This is the canvas after gessoeing the entire background. I painted in some color to coordinate with my color theme. I chose aqua, blue, maroon and tan, maybe some greenish blue as well.

Encaustic Art

2008-11-09T07:19:00.011-07:00

I think I would use these as backgrounds for atcs or torn up in a collage. The image to the right above was on a piece of foam core that was folded to get the lines before adding the wax.

I took a class Saturday that involved wax on paper. I had always wanted to work with wax. The instructor worked exclusively on paper and made cards. I tried to branch out and incorporate paper into them. I think collage encaustic art uses wood and a thicker layer of wax. Here are some I made. We used a craft iron that we rubbed squares of wax onto in different colors. Then we combined them in patterns.

I didnt like how thin the layer of wax went on. To translucent for me. Has anyone tried this? What did you use them in? I would love to see your work.

Alla Prima in a Portrait

2008-10-30T20:58:00.008-06:00

This is my first attempt in acrylics of a portrait with a live model. I felt out of my comfort zone since I usually draw flowers and landscapes. I signed up for a class with other art educators to learn Alla Prima. From the Italian word which literally means at once.This is where you complete a painting at one time. Our teacher was a young artist who does his own paintings. Daniel Gonzalez. He tried to get us to look for the shapes and values by squinting instead of going for alot of detail at first. I had fun meeting other teachers in the Douglas county area.

Here is the model we were attempting to draw.

Sketching in California

2008-10-28T09:07:00.001-06:00

This was done outside our hotel in Santa Monica. I loved seeing all the palm trees we dont have here in Colorado.

Back From California-Art Museums

2008-10-28T08:41:00.015-06:00

Some of the gorgeous architecture at Stanford and UCLA University at Berkely. I loved all the Trees and flowers everywhere. I brought home some leaves to sketch.

This was the Getty Villa in Malibu- An art museum that was a replicated villa from one in Italy that was destroyed in the Volcano eruption. Getty had it rebuilt from excavation they are doing now. It was incredible with all the gardens and mosaics in the courtyard . We also made it to the Getty in Los Angeles on the Hill. What an experience! They even have two Modern Art museums downtown.

Fall Collage

2008-10-13T16:55:00.003-06:00

Finished my first fall collage. used a diecut for the apple shape and mostly paint . Some different printed papers. The quote is about autumn: The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds no matter how hushed are as crisp as autumn air.-edwin teale

Deer in our yard

2008-10-11T11:51:00.004-06:00

We woke up this morning to four deer in our yard. This was as close as I could get without scaring them off. I got all four in the pic. Click on the picture to make it large to see them.

Collages in my Altered book

2008-10-09T22:38:00.005-06:00

Here are some collages I completed in a workshop by Paula Hardesty. I did several in my altered book. It was fun as her personality made the afternoon go so fast. She introduced charcoal outlining and a white paint pen by sharpie.

This was done on a piece of watercolor paper, used rubber stamps, text collaged underneath.

The interesting embellishment she introduced was movie title letters she bought on ebay. They are 3 d and can be stamped with rubber stamps for textures.

Home sweet home collage

2008-10-03T16:54:00.000-06:00

Just finished this collage. It was very fun to do. I used layers of text, music score, dictionary pages, rubber stamps patterned papers, gesso, paint and tissue paper. The idea was from Martha's website. I sent it to our schools fundraiser to have it copied on an apron for work. size is 8 1/2 x 8 1/2. I hope to make one or two more larger.

Alaska altered book

2008-09-28T23:10:00.001-06:00

This spread shows the part of our trip where we flew into a remote area, Kennicott, there is a ghost town there from an old mine and two glaciers. We had a gorgeous day for the flight. Bright clear sunshine day so we could see everything. Down to the moose in the lake below.
Here are the beautiful mountains we stayed right outside of in Kennicott. We wore crampons for the glacier hike. The group ahead of us saw a mother bear and cubs. This was a nice place to get away from all the crowds. The only way into the town was to fly or drive for 3 hours on a gravel road going 30 mph and then had to take a footbridge to the town. One of the highlights of our trip. I used mulberry paper , pattern tissue paper for the mountains and paint to simulate the landscape we saw.