In the Name of Art

North/South/East/West Valentine

I admit, if I really like a compostion, I'll go back for a do-over to see what happens. The original comp for this was a Xmas card I kept because the arrangement was intriguing. The prominent cross in the foreground anchors or pins everything else down in a way I didn't anticipate. Doing it over taught me something about that and contrast, there isn't as much of that here and it makes a difference. Formal elements and principles have had me under their spell since I started teaching them and the voo-doo just keeps going on. I even started writing a book(let?) about them but I'm a bit pressed for time with the art. Perhaps in another life....or maybe I should quit writing in the blog for awhile!

Snowball Heart

Lots of stuff here came to me courtesy of the kindness of other artists: the photo from Sarah Fishburn, the ground from Anne Bagby. It remained for me to put it all together. The woman looking up seems to be making a snowball, hence the title. I was pleased to find a place for all these beautiful offerings.

Small Heart, Big Wren

Some folded paper with water color, a few roughly rectangular scraps of patterned paper, a wren out of season and a scattering of postage stamp pieces. This was made in a mood of "I'm doing it whether it comes out or not! Yee ha." 

Not Heaven but a Kiss

A batch of valentines is up next. I had fun with them but lost my mojo along the way and had to give myself a talking-to. Somedays are like the Anne Lamott quote, "You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town", sent to me by my comrade in art Terry. After the talk I just decided to make bad art. That worked pretty well. This was made for the Medina Art League demo, but it also results in lots of art to send to family and friends, a very good thing....

Heaven in a Stitched Sleeve

Another piece in the "Heaven" exchange....Syd sent along a book about a particular angel (I don't want to be a spoiler, not that the folks who are in this thing wait with bated breath for my entries) and a request for particular stuff. This isn't anything like the other stuff in her package but I knew exactly what I wanted to do after reading her little book. All pieces and parts relate to childhood preoccupations so I'm on solid ground.....I think. I'll be posting a bit more since I put on a Valentine workshop last night, lots of hearts going on.

Heavenly 3x3s

Another part to the "Heaven" exchange, this one for Lynn Whipple who sent the most heavenly latched box for the work. She wanted artists to contribute prayer flags to hang in her studio and that fit hand in glove with what I've been doing lately with paper patches and tulle attachments. This is smaller than my usual, but it's easier to see the details that way. Now I'm off to stitch on Syd's. They're coming in fast and furious after a hiatus of 6 or so months!

Heaven on to the Post office

Off to Colorado tomorrow, the long awaited "Heaven" journal. This is for Lesley Riley's clever little book with the pop-out pocket and came from Bee on Friday. I'm never sure how I'm going to do these things until they're done. Lesley's title mentioned directions so I put Emily Dickenson's poem about heaven on the inside of my signature. They are directions you can trust.

Blue Cloud on Snow

Memento of the weather this week.....we will have upper 40s tomorrow, amazing!

Frozen Feather

Photos are courtesy of my sis-in-law, who has a good eye and sends many cards my way. I only re-new the very old ones......

January's Frozen Blue

Just got busy this morning for the "Snow Show" down at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center so this is the first completed work of 2012. 6x4 inches is a size I take delight in. This one has photography, hand-made paper, acrylic, color pencil, dimensional paint, pieces of a calendar and a dictionary illustration. The title is in flux. It's a good theme for today, we've had 4 or so inches of lake snow!