New – Now – Neat-o

     Greetings folk of the online realm!  Am I the only one who has trouble believing that today is the last day of January?  *2018!?!*  I suppose that time flies whether you are having fun or not (?)  Luckily, I have been doing much work and having much fun – in spite of some wildly wacky weather for January, in these parts…

     After much planning, and putting off – hemming and hawing – pondering and dismissal, the time has finally come!  …yep, Yep, YEP!  Gentle readers of Blog-land-ia, I offer you *insert drumroll and/or maniacal laughter, here*:  ART PAPER LOVE (AKA my latest love-child OR a newly minted wonderland of visual merriments -- with more goodness arriving weekly, for the foreseeable future)!  I am immensely grateful to the eagle eyes of MDP and mi madre!  Lucky am I to have such vigilant editors in my corner.

     Over the course of the next few weeks, visitors will be treated to loads of new stuff including, but not limited to:  new Blog posts (to further highlight the joys of web-based wonderments), the addition of an interactive Events calendar, and the arrival of an actual purchasing portal (with work, by me, for sale)  *…hey:  Go BIG, or go home – right?*

     More big news is in store with regard to my latest collaborative creative endeavor:  Your Creative Connection.  If you haven’t yet, please do visit our nook on the ‘net for additional information about this unique, creative experience.  …and if you want to be among the very first to know the all of the latest news and developments, remember to sign up for our Newsletter!

     What else is New, Now, and Neat-O in my neck of the woods?  Well:  *thanks for asking!* I will be back at the Demo Table at Jerry’s Artarama Raleigh in the coming months, I have been invited to teach in a new *to me* venue this Summer/Fall (The Yadkin Valley Fiber Room), and I have scheduled what I hope to be the first of many Private Engagements this year *this one a Birthday Party for a CMMAG chum*  So…  as 2018 continues to un-spool before me, I look forward to having even more neat, new, and nifty creative happenings to share with you *some of which are so close I can taste them*!  What has kept you busy throughout the 1^st parcel of this most amazing New Year?  I’d love to know!  Drop me a line, or leave a comment.

     The worktable is calling, and so I must go!  Thanks for visiting with me here – I hope you enjoy the new website as much as I have enjoyed *at long last* making it happen. 

Onward & upward,

Words of wisdom for today:

Progress means getting

nearer to the place you want to be.

And if you have taken a wrong turning,

then to go forward does not get you any nearer.
If you are on the wrong road,

progress means doing an about-turn

and walking back to the right road;

and in that case the man who turns back soonest

is the most progressive man.
                           ~ C. S. Lewis

Feelin' Lucky!

Greetings!  I hope that yours has been a most fortuitous St. Patrick's Day.  Here in HoCo, we seem to have sent winter packing by driving straight on into Summer!?  It was 84 degrees here, today!

Regardless the weather, I am feeling more than a little lucky!  Granted, this is pretty much my normal state -- heck, I could recycle this title with numbered tags -- there's no telling how many there would be by the end of the year.  *hmmm...  *

The past week was another in the seemingly unending "Buffet of Blessings" that I regularly observe, bobbing along on the ebb and flow that is life here on the Acre.  It bundled together several of my most favorite things between book-ends of creativity -- it doesn't get much better than that, eh?

Picture Perfect
...a wee folded tome

We begin with a quick trip up the road to Jerry's Artarama - Raleigh, NC; on Sunday (03/08) visitors found me happily folding books at the entryway.  A few folks stepped up to play along.  I do so love sharing my love of paper and all the wonderful things that one can do with it!  The "Try Me" project was a lovely, wee modular Origami book -- little warm-up for my 1st workshop of the year.  *fun, Fun, FUN!*  After amazing the natives with my paper wizardry, I enjoyed a sunny, afternoon visit with The Mother -- complete with steaming mugs of tea and bird-song.

The Same Again
...as folded by a visitor to my demonstration

Thursday (03/12) was the General Meeting of the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild for this month.  WOW -- we had a loaded agenda!  The evening was packed with all sorts of mixed media merriments:  new opportunities on the horizon, fabulous Member Artists' work on display, beautiful works entering the world as part of an international Call for Art, and a marvelous Demo from C. Mitchell on the wonders of various acrylic mediums!  If you are in the area, you really owe it to yourself to pay us a visit.  We have a LARGE time, and there is SO much going on throughout the year -- your membership is well worth the cost.  *...and I am not the slightest bit biased toward this group of amazing artists!  Nope, not one bit!*

A Trio of Minis
...the fruits of my labors, folding with the younguns

Friday (03/13) was not the least bit scary for me as it marked my return to the beautiful campus of North Raleigh Christian Academy.  For the 4th *or 5th (?)* year, I proudly served as one of the Demonstrating Artists at the annual ASCI Arts Festival.  It is so exciting to share something I love (the making of books as an art form) with a younger group of creatives, and see the "spark" as the pieces of the puzzle come together, and they get the magic behind the form.  This event always concludes with a wonderful luncheon at a nearby eatery for the Artists/Instructors who shared their skills at the event.  It is one of the markers of Spring, for me!  *the weather is no help in tracking the seasons in this part of the country!*

Sandwiched between these two lucky bits was a most loverly visit and late night nibbles & sips with two wild and crazy artist friends I don't get to see nearly enough of.  How sweet the company of friends after a evening of shared joys?  ...and how much sweeter still the anticipation of a day doing what you love to do in the company of others on the happy road of creative living?

Sunday (03/15) afternoon, The Man and I enjoyed a Clint Eastwood movie marathon.  I took advantage of the chill Sunday at home to indulge in a little creative play.  I have finally played with my Pan Pastels, and I can definitely see what all the hub-bub is about!  I tested a few ideas that I had in mind for a quick project and was very pleased with the results.

Pan Pastels -- The Test-Drive
...3 colors, blended through the stencil - sealed with a shimmer
using Color Bloom Spray - shadows added w/ marker

I ticked off one more of my ToDos for today with a quick trip to the Pack & Ship for Global Postage, and the mailing of 11 loverly pieces of Mail Art -- who knew Global Postage Stamps were so pretty?  I'll just tease you with the stamps, for now -- photos of the individual works themselves will be along, soon!

Beautiful & Round
...Global postage is a perfect finishing touch

 SO!  That ought to be enough to hold you, for now!  I'll see you back here again, soon!

Onward & Upward!

 

Words of Wisdom for Today:

Good night, and good luck.
                         - Edward R. Murrow

Photo Notes:  

All photos taken with the standard camera app on the Samsung Galaxy S4. 
All editing (crop, color adjust, etc.) completed in IrfanView

Fortuosity!

WOW!  It seems like only yesterday I was waxing nostalgic over May.  Now we are standing at the edge of another month.  For me, June has been chock full of fortunate encounters.  It seems only fitting to share them here.  First, a word *or three* about the title of this post.  Talk about a "blast from the past"...

When I was a wee girl of 5 or 6, I had a beautiful, blue record player.  It looked much like a small, hard-sided suitcase (or typewriter case).  I loved my record player, even if the records I had did make for a rather odd collection.  Comprised of an odd assortment of 78 rpm records in bright yellow (with classics such as "Turkey in the Straw (Turkey in the Hay)", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and the like), and a few 'read along story books' with their own 45 rpm discs, the real treasures of my collection were a trio of 33 rpm albums handed down from my mom:  "With Love, Bobby," "Peter Paul and Mary - 10 Years Together," and "Walt Disney's Happiest Songs" (a promo/tie-in with Gulf Gas Stations released the year before I was born).  Thus began a life-long love of music (in general), and liner notes (specifically).

I was a singing fool!  One of my clearest memories from this time is singing *on the top of our lungs!* selections from each of these, while pumping my legs on any swing set I could find -- oh, how I loved to swing and sing!  *Julie, Julie, Julie, Do You LOVE Me? -- I DIG Rock 'n Roll Music -- When You Wish Upon a Star*  To this day, I can sing *from memory, thankyouverymuch* every line from "Fortuosity" -- and these days, that little ditty seems to sum up my daily outlook better than any other tune that comes to mind!  This merry month of June has proven no exception.

The month began with a book give-away on the Blog of the wildly talented artist and author Quinn McDonald of Quinn Creative.  As I normally do, upon reading about the the book she was giving away I looked it up on Amazon and added it to my wish list...  I was thrilled to be notified that I had won, and have spent more than a little happy time perusing its pages (and adding to the marginalia).  I am thoroughly enjoying my copy of "Finding What You Didn't Lose" by John Fox.  Thanks, Quinn -- I love it!  The beautiful post card featuring Quinn's work (and a sweet hand-written note) is a fitting book mark, to boot!

 The mail continued to deliver happy moments with the  delivery of a little gifty from one of our ReMe Retreats guests!  Laurie Beth Seehusen snagged a last-minute cancellation spot for our May event in Ocracoke only 2 weeks before we gathered on the Outer Banks of NC...  In doing so, she took a flying leap at something she had never done before. She joined in with all of her being, but did not have time to gather or create a "Gift-a-Thon" offering.  Upon returning home (to Texas), she found the perfect thing for her ReMe buddies:  The Freaker!  Their tag line, "1 Freaker, Every Bottle," sums up nicely the job(s) that this quirky character can do.  It fits nearly EVERY thing:  baby bottles, canned beverages, bottles (up to a wine bottle), and 'go cups!'  It was created by a young man from right down the NC coast in Beaufort; he was featured on the TV show "Shark Tank."  How cool, to learn about something from right here at home from a friend so far away!  I received Sherlock Homie, and couldn't be happier -- it works like a charm!  Thanks, again, Laurie Beth!

Back in January, my fellow CMMAG Guild members and I embarked on a journey of creative sharing endearingly called YORCA -- a handy acronym for the Year of Random Creative Acts.  Just last week, I was the happy recipient of one of those kind and creative acts when a bubble mailer arrived from the lovely Iris Musslewhite!  Nestled within the tissue wrapping (secured with one of the very labels that I designed) was THIS thing of beauty -- a most lovely, mixed media bracelet.  The colors are rich and deep, bringing to mind virtually every piece of clothing that I love to snuggle into in the Fall and Winter.  That won't stop me from enjoying it throughout the dog days of Summer, tho'!  It is gorgeous, Iris, thank you for thinking of me.

Speaking of the CMMAG, it was my pleasure to welcome a student from my "Long MAY You Wave" class to our meeting in June.  Deb Averitt came to our General Meeting, and brought a friend -- she also brought her Flag Book from my class.  She had finished her colorful, kinetic color-wheel by collaging images onto the flags for each color; it was FAB-U-LOUS!  I love it when folks make a project their own by adding things that they love.  Deb's finished book is a perfect example of that very thing.  Thank you, Deb, for sharing your book with us, and for your very kind words about your workshop experience with me.

As regular readers of this Blog know, my ReMe partners (Jean Skipper and Jodi Ohl) and I are in the midst of our 2nd Blog Hop.  This is a tried and true vehicle for driving traffic on the interwebs, and back in May I followed the flow of traffic on a Blog Hop for my far-away-friend Jill K Berry's latest book:  Map Art Lab.  Much to my utter delight, I won the drawing on her site for a copy of this treasure.  It arrived last week, and I look forward to spending more time between its covers -- it bears lingering.  If you enjoy map imagery and incorporating it in your own work, I highly recommend this beautiful book!  An added bonus is that it also includes work from two other artists whose work I love, and who I know personally:  Amy Smith and Cathy Taylor!

As if ALL of this wasn't enough, I will wrap up the month of June with a visit to Richmond, VA to spend a little time with friends old and new!  I'll return home via Raleigh, after this month's workshop at Jerry's Artarama:  Mixed Media Triptych - One Work in Three Parts.  There is still room to join us, as we beat the Summer heat by spending a day learning some cool techniques using text and acrylic mediums for texture and visual interest!  It promises to be a BIG, fun day & I'd love to see you there!

Until next time!

Onward & Upward,

Words of wisdom for today:

"God is a comedian
playing to an audience
too afraid to laugh."

                                    - Voltaire

Photo Notes:

    Flag Book Finished - by Deb Averitt

Mea culpa...

Hale and hearty greetings, Blog Land!

In my last post, I enthused o'er my new-found technological doo-dad that would allow me to blog from my travels across the sea to Seoul.  Upon landing and getting settled in, I realized that the doo-dad was at home -- many miles/hours away *oops!*  "No worries," I said to myself upon returning home, "I'll get a post up before the next Big Thing (a.k.a. the inaugural gathering of ReMe students/guests in Ocracoke)."  Alas, time did fly amidst the preparations for said Big Thing, and no post was forthcoming.

I have now returned from THAT adventure with even MORE goodness to share, and felt it only right and proper to let you know that it is coming -- all in good time *or...  all in my best efforts to be timely (?)*

It would appear that my 46th year is to be A Year of Great Firsts!  I look forward to sharing each of them with you, right here!  One of them is actually happening right now *multitasking to the Nth degree, today!*  So...  I will leave you with a few 'sneak peeks' of the visual merriments that are to come, and we can look forward to a lengthier visit in the not too distant future!

Magical Moments with Meggie
...snippets of the time spent in Seoul with our sweet girl!

Scenes from ReMe - Ocracoke, May '14
...barely scratching the surface of the wonderments of the week!

More coming, soon!  

Onward & Upward,

Words of wisdom for today:

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine
on the other side of the world."

                                    - Mary Anne Radmacher

Photo Notes:

    All Photos  - taken with Samsung Galaxy S4

    ReMe Group Shot - by Deborah Belica

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES

WOW!  I feel sort of 'lop-sided,' tonight...  It's an odd mix of deliriously happy, veiled in the lightest whisper of melancholy.  After four (4) glorious *sometimes harrowing* years at the helm of the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG), I relinquished the 'invisi-gavel' to my dear friend, and its new leader, Michelle Davis Petelinz.  It has been quite a ride!  I can hardly wait to see where we go, next.  If you had told me 6 years ago that I would not only be a member of an art guild, but its President for four years, I would have laughed my @ss right off!?  The lessons learned and gifts received in these years have been innumerable.  I have made incredible friends, experienced amazing things, and created some of my best work to date -- all as a result of being a part of this amazing community!  The sheer power of a group of like-minded individuals is astounding to me!  Trans-formative -- that's the only word I have for what my membership in this group has been for me...

Way back in 2007, I met a few kindred souls (JS, TJ & AS) at my very first Art & Soul experience.  It was great to find out that there were a few crazy art gals right down the road from me.  J & A invited me & T to attend a meeting of the CMMAG, after we returned home.  The Guild then is unrecognizable to me in comparison with the Guild as it is today.  At my 2nd meeting, I was observed writing notes (simply because that is the only hope I have of remembering things), and was instantly dubbed The Secretary -- a role I filled through 2008.  I thoroughly enjoyed being the intrepid reporter of all things Guild-y, and there were plenty of things to report!

The NC Art & Soul contingient, ca. 2011
I met JS, TJ, and AS at Art & Soul, Hapmton VA in '07

From mid-2007 through 2008 we grew and grew.  That growth signaled the need for some additional structure; mid-2008, we set about forming a set of By-Laws, establishing Committees, and formalizing our Board (adding a VP and Members at Large).  We grew out of Ornamentea, where we overwhelmed their classroom but not their generosity -- they remain a great FOG (Friend of the Guild). 

Seeking more room for our burgeoning membership, we also acquired another incredible FOG:  Jerry's Artarama of Raleigh.  CMMAG entered into partnership with Jerry's in the fall of 2008, by providing what has since become a bookend to our year - we became the 'Service & Support' team on the workshop side of Art of the Carolinas (AoC).  Prepping the classrooms and keeping them supplied with water were our primary duties - but this crew knows how to 'bring it,' so we also offered a "Make and Take" area for folks to experiment when not in their classes.  That was the beginning of another beautiful relationship for the Guild, we partnered with Strathmore Artists Papers (who provided us with ATC blanks) to offer The Great ATC Make & Take!  ...and the rest, as they say, is history.  Last year (2012) marked our FIFTH year in this role at AoC - acknowledged by virtually everyone involved as our best year, yet!  We have seen several changes, since that first year:  upgraded digs (we have our own room!), loads of new Vendor Sponsors, and expanded hours (we added Art Journaling After Hours in 2011).  One thing has remained the same though, folks LOVE to come together under the banner of creativity - give them the chance to do so, and you will  have a party on  your hands!

Merry little elves!
Sharon DiGiulio sharing the Jerry's love of CMMAG, ca. 2010

Our partnership with Jerry's was win/win, and the Guild found a new home - meeting monthly in the classroom there, we worked together to spread the word of the wonder that is the CMMAG.  Special thanks to our resident "secret weapon," Sharon DiGiulio - Event Coordinator for Jerry's Artarama in Raleigh.  Sharon has been an invaluable element in the expansion of both our membership (telling everyone she knows what an amazing group this is) and our offerings (being an incredible advocate for making more room for art and artists in the day-to-day grind).  In addition to becoming the home of the CMMAG, Sharon and Jerry's also provided a launching pad for many of our number to become Instructors (provding demos and workshops under the Jerry's banner) - one of those fortunate souls was yours truly; 2013 will mark my 3rd year as a workshop instructor, there.  During the course of our 'residence' at Jerry's, we hosted book signings, play-days, member challenges, and built a presence for ourselves in the existing Arts Community in the Raleigh area.  All of which put us in a familiar place by the end of 2009:  we needed more room!

Enter the Chavis Community Center (CCC), a facility within the City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department.  One of our members was also the Assistant Director at the time, and facilitated our transition to their facility by way of some creative bartering:  in exchange for the creation of a monthly art program for the children of their After School and Summer Camp programs, CMMAG would have a new home for its monthly meetings.  This partnership added another committee to our roster (Children's Programming), and threw open wide the doors of our new home.  Our collaboration with the CCC found our members engaging with budding young artists, bringing new supplies to the center, and in the spring of 2012 awarded with the prestigious Fred Fletcher Volunteer Award as an Outstanding Volunteer Group!  I've had to double- and triple-check my dates for this, because I can hardly believe all that we have done since our move to Chavis!?  *in spite of having had front row seats for every minute of the show!*

Michelle and I accepting the Fletcher Award on behalf of CMMAG
with Al Byrd, Chavis Center Director and our nominator - March, 2012

  
We have become the 'go to' gals for face-painting (a pleasure most of us had never experienced before our headlong entry into SpringFest, 2010), we have hosted dozens of eager young hands at many a' work table with fun and imaginative projects, presented a movie screening, entertained ourselves with a raft of member play-days, found new and creative ways to give back to our community using art, and continued to grow!  This year will see another deepening of our partnership with the CCC, inspiring a whole new level of involvement and community interaction!  *...and it thrills me, so!*

I have condensed, as well as I am able, the history of the Guild for the past 5 years with regard to where we have lived - this by no means encompasses all we have done!  Our creative adventures have enabled us to count as FOG:  ArtSpace, S.W.O.O.P., Visual Art Exchange, Arts for Life - Durham, SPARKcon, Artful Endeavors, Carolina Artists Colony, The Scrap Exchange, and several companies providing the tools of the trade to a host of artsitic endeavors (GOLDEN Artist Colors, Liquitex, Sanford/Prismacolor, Daler-Rowney, and Ampersand to name a few)!

Yours truly and MDP @ The Busy Bee
CMMAG's premiere at SPARKcon, 2012

 
It would appear that I have managed to provide you with the 'we' picture of the past 5 years, but not so much the 'me' picture...  At times the two have felt inseparable.  However, I can say this about 'me':  I emerge from this role undeniably changed.  I feel that my tenure as the President of the CMMAG has brought a greater sense of purpose to my life.  It has made me a better listener, a more effective leader, a more willing deligator, and has redefined my approach to new endeavors.  My leadership in this group has revitalized my belief in the power of 'giving back' as good as you 'get.'  *karma works, baby!*  It has removed my apprehension to ask -- how much easier would life be if we all just quit worrying that the answer might be "no"? This is not to say that I just roam about asking people for spare change and what-not.  But I have learned to ask for:  patience, consideration, partnership, mutually beneficial arrangements, and plain ol' help!  I have a new understanding and greater appreciation for what Teamwork really is.  I have been befriended by some of the most amazing women I have ever known.  I now know *in no uncertain terms* what it means to have a Tribe!  I have learned that I am, indeed, my own worst enemy.  ...and I have learned to be kinder to myself.

In some ways, all of what I have described to you seems unreal!  In many other ways, I cannot imagine my life without the CMMAG and its incredible members as a part of it.  So while there has been a change in my title, my commitment to and enthusiasm for the work of the CMMAG is unchanged.  I'll just be viewing *and contributing to* the continued advancements of this amazing organization from a different angle!

If you are a creative spirit in the greater Raleigh,NC area, you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at this hidden gem.  We meet the 2nd Thursday of every month at The Chavis Community Center (505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Raleigh, NC) at 6:30pm.  We are home to a wide variety of artists, artisans, and crafts people.  We are dedicated to fostering the appreciation of Mixed Media Arts and artists, supporting the creative endeavors of all ages, and finding innovative ways to use art to give back to the community at large.

Onward & Upward!
 - pla

Words of wisdom for today:

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting
growing, taking risks, breaking rules,
making mistakes, and having fun."

                                      - Mary Lou Cook

p.s. - Tonight, this amazing crew managed to totally blow my mind!?!  They presented me with a most incredible and beautiful gift - the details of which I will have to share with you on the morrow.  It is late, and this Immediate Past President needs to hit the hay!


p.p.s. - Listen, we simply have to stop meeting like this -- I mean, every day!?   ...for a week!?!  *Seriously!?!*  No foolin', this every day thing is sort of cool!   Realistically, I don't see it becoming 'the new normal,' though.  ...but we are here, in this 'now,' and I am blogging every day.  Que sera sera!

Image Notes:

   "Gavel" altered image from Microsoft Office Images, style # 1147.  Image manipulation by yours truly via Paint Shop Pro X2 (filters & effects).

   "Art & Soul Buds" photo by an anonymous server at *the now defunct* Corfu in Southern Pines, NC, taken with Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1) - set to natural light, slow sync/red eye flash.

   "Merry little elves" photo by Lucy Shupe (camera info not available)

   "Award Acceptance" photo by Lauren Koeth taken with Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1). 
   "@ The Busy Bee" photo by Lauren Koeth (camera info not available)
  "Logo of the CMMAG" by yours truly (ca. 2008).

"The Gift of Art", Gifts of Art, and Some Fancy Pants!

Greetings, denizens of the Blog-O-Sphere!  *eek!*  It's been a bit...  *again!*  However, I think that you will understand my absence a little better after we catch up, here -- in the spirit of 'Fair Warning' I will recommend a comforting beverage of your choice, and a comfy spot for our 'reunion', as it might take a while *wink!*

The Fall, for the past few years, has marked an unlikely acceleration (rather than Nature's suggestion of a general slowing) around here.  Even if you removed the planning and extra work involved in preparation for and hosting of various and sundry Holiday fetes, the last part of the year is a total MaDhOuSe around these parts.  Knowing from having learned this *many times over* it may seem strange to hear that I was, once again, totally amazed by the pace required to keep up of late!  So much for "Live and Learn" - ha!  It seems that my modus operendi would be more like "Live and Live".

Consider "The Gift of Art"
for someone you love
this Holiday Season!

The biggest news is the arrival of a much anticipated tool for great good!  A joint effort to benefit Arts for Life/Durham, The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild presents "The Gift of Art" Calendar for 2012.  This gorgeous, 9x12 in. calendar features a different, vibrant work of art by an Arts for Life child/student at Duke Children's Hospital for each month throughout 2012.  Extra special thanks to the generosity of Victory 500 (for the design), Henry Wurst, Inc. (for the printing), and our own Lynn Creech (for assembling this cast of characters), every dollar from the sale of these calendars goes directly to the funding of artistic educational programming for the children served by Arts for Life!  This has been a most incredible partnership, already, and I am very excited to see what comes from a vast new year that holds "The Gift of Art!"  Calendars will be available through The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild at Art of the Carolinas, November 10th - 13th, at the North Raleigh Hilton in Raleigh, NC; and at Art in The Pines, November 19th, at the Southern Pines Civic Club in Southern Pines, NC. Several Guild members will have them in their booths and displays at area shows and festivals in the coming weeks.  If you are far away, you can have up to three calendars shipped to one address, with delivery confirmation, for $4.95 (United States Postal Service Priority Mail).  Visit our blog, Creativity Rocks, to order online.  We appreciate your interest and support!

Masked & Pasted
light molding paste through
and alphabet stencil

Next up, a Sneak Peek of my contribution to an upcoming collaborative exhibit!  What do you get when you take 25 artists, and give them:  one 12x12 in. canvas, 4 colors of acrylic paint, and free reign (with a few guidelines)?  Well, you get a little thing that my friends over at The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild like to call "CanvaSynergy" -- a collaborative creation that will be unveiled at this years Art of the Carolinas!  The idea was the brain-child of our Vice President (and dear friend) Michelle Davis Petelinz, who drew the unifying design that spanned the 5' x 5' combined canvas area.  The canvasses were then 'mapped' and assigned to each of the participants (who included every discipline from painters to fiber artists to photographers to glass artists -- we are nothing, if not mixed)!  We got to enjoy the spectacle of The Big Reveal at our October meeting.  The general public will get to see it next weekend as we celebrate both the 10th Anniversary of the CMMAG, and our 4th year at AOC!  Is there a big time in store for everyone involved?  10-4, Good Buddy!

Glass Bead Gel, Plus!
Glass Bead Medium by Matisse Derivan
added for increased visual interest

I chose to let the texture do the talking, and augmented my palette with an assortment of acrylic texture mediums (light molding paste, glass bead gel, crackle medium, and glazing medium).  Aside from the worry over WHAT this would end up looking like among its neighbors, I really had fun with the Guild's latest challenge!  I tend to work (some might say 'overly') carefully, anyway; a project such as this really brings out my internal Safety Guard!  I am quite pleased with the outcome, though!  If you are anywhere near Raleigh, NC between November 10th and 13th, you really should come check it out -- your eyes will be glad you did ;-)  This and many other wonderful visual wonders await!

CanvaSynergy by Yours Truly
side detail, vintage buttons tacked to leading edge

Then there was the driving (and driving and driving and driving)...

En Route to Raleigh   --   En Route to Sanford   --   En Route to Greenville
10/13                                10/18                                    10/20

With new creative endeavors on the horizon, there was a welcome respite of 'hunkering down at the homestead' (albeit brief) that found me steadily at the work table.  In addition to a new exploration of color, I am prepping to take a dive into encaustic collage after the first of the year (I can't seem to escape my wax roots, ha)!

Full Spectrum II
from the series "Colorful Convergence"
12x12 in. Mixed Media canvas
on deep cradle, lacquered panel

The next run of *entirely coincidentally* 12 x 12 in. canvases to fly out the door were happy compositions that doubled as charitable donations.  The first, to benefit NCTASH, was much beloved by one of the organizers -- who has requested one of her own *sweet*!  The second, to benefit Arts for Life/Durham, will be auctioned at their Fancy Pants Dance, tomorrow (11/05).  The Guild has sponsored a table, and you can be sure that there will be enough artful goodness and general merriment to merit a post dedicated solely to that adventure!  About these pieces:  this idea, in and of itself, is not mine.  However, unlike the versions that I have seen around (on stretched canvas), I have made what I feel are structural improvements for the betterment of the media.  I mounted a triple primed canvas square onto a deep-cradle, lacquered hardwood panel -- after completing the hot-wax painting, it was sealed *three times* with an archival, satin finish.  Having the work on a rigid surface decreases the likelihood of cracking and wax loss.  Sealing with a satin finish ensures the luster of the wax and removes the matte finish of the canvas -- as an added bonus, the canvas looks even better on the gloss finish of the lacquered panel!  The process of discovery in working with this form has been infectious!  More than once, The Man has *quite excitedly* chimed in with "Oh, and then you could..."  I love the mutual appreciation we have for our vastly different talents!  *OMG!  If we DID dress up for Halloween, we should one day be Left Brain and Right Brain!  We could travel the costume contest circuit!  We could be A'Walky Famouse!*  My stars!  Did I type that out loud?!?  Please forgive me -- like a magpie, I am, when stricken by whimsical notions!

The there was some more driving (and driving, and shopping, and roller-coastering, and friendshipping)...

IKEA, The Famed Meatballs,
A Moment of Giddiness, and Four Fab Friends!

A much needed, long-planned and well-deserved getaway with The B's!  We went to Charlotte:  I had my very first IKEA adventure (the Christmas shopping was much advanced), and we road ALL the roller coasters at Carowinds (a few, more than thrice)!  *AND wrote our own Halloween Carol -- alas, that is not a story for here o.O*  It was a wonderful, whirl-wind weekend with my besties -- and we don't have many of those.  

Stenciled
using vintage doilies

After a bit more driving...  Back on the Acre, and back in The Zone!  The Real Job has reached a new level of greatness, all due to The Man and his Massive Brain.  Many irons in the fire make for active hands and watchful eyes - "It's a good thing!"  It never ceases to amaze me that the more one has to do, the more one gets done!  The latest creative endeavor during my down time has been the 'fancification' of a pair of pants for the aforementioned "Fancy Pants Dance".  On the surface, a few months ago, it sounded simple enough:  Fancy Pants?  No problem!  ...weeelllll, there was the whole finding the pants thing ...and then the figuring out what to do with the pants thing ...and the slight learning curve that came from the never having done what I decided to do thing!  I will let you in on a little secret, my interweb friends:  There are times when it is highly beneficial to be somewhat anal *I'm just sayin'*!  With heartfelt thanks to JR and JC for the needed extra doily goodness, I was able to cut and piece a variety of vintage doilies as stencils.

Stenciled
using vintage, plastic lace

The best details were achieved using a vintage, plastic lace table runner *as it resisted warping from the combination of adhesive spray and moisture from the paint* better than even the heavier paper doilies.  I used various colors of Jacquard's Lumiere light-body acrylic paints (Blue Halo Gold, Blue Pearl, Turquoise Pearl, and Russet Pearl) and two Golden fluid acrylics (Interference Red Oxide and Iridescent Silver Fine) mixed with Liquitex Fabric Medium.  Paints were applied using both foam and nylon brushes - depending on the size of the openings in the doilies.  I will note that when using regular acrylics with the Fabric Medium, I found the iridescence was improved by going over those areas with straight paint while the paint/medium layer was still wet.  As the ol' saw goes:  All's well that ends well.  I am rather pleased with the end result.  I can just hear Hyacinth Bucket intoning:  "Fancy needn't be gaudy, dear!"  I even found a pair of earrings, yesterday, that look like little, silver doilies *oh, snay-up!  Fancy, indeed!*

All of this seems like a gracious sufficiency of 'happenings,' but more awaits me!  Tomorrow I'll be heading to Durham to don my Fancy Pants and Coat of Charmor for the official premiere of "The Gift of Art" 2012 Calendar!  Next weekend will find me, once again, immersed in the 4-day artful spectacular that is Art of the Carolinas (I can hear the buckets, calling me, calling me)!  Needless to say, there will be much more creative frivolity to share with you in the coming weeks.

Well...  If your drink was hot in the beginning, it's bound to be cold (if not gone) by now -- I suppose if it was cold to begin with, the reverse would apply *depending on where you are...*  Yep, yep, yep - it's time for me to head out of here!  Thanks for the visit!  As always, there is more to come!

Onward & Upward!
 - pla

Words of wisdom for today:

"This is your one life.

This is your only time as you...

experience all the good things."

                                      - Maya Angelou

Photo Notes:

   "The Gift of Art" provided by Michelle Davis Petelinz.
   "CanvaSynergy", "Colorful Convergence",  "Fancy Pants", and "Four Fab Friends" taken with Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1) - set to natural light, slow sync/red eye flash.

    Remaining photos taken with Motorola DROID Vignette Demo App, set to random, vintage frames and auto flash.

*All photos can be seen in a larger size by clicking on them*