Today is Easter Sunday and it’s quiet in our Jewish home. While my husband is preparing to do a talk, I figured I have some time. SO much has happened since I last blogged. I’ll get into much of that at a later time. Let me share with you some art, since that’s what I most wish to share.

Untitled - Abstract Intuitive Painting - Acrylic and Colored Pencil on Canvas Board

A while ago, I sat down and painted some canvas boards. I didn’t have any expectations of where they were going to go, or what I was going to do with them. I went the intuitive route. With all the impressionistic work I’ve been doing based on my travels, this is a good thing for me sometimes – to just get out of my head and let the paint do its thing. I worked on two canvases simultaneously and each came out completely different – different color schemes, different shapes, different composition, different subjects. It is one of the things I love about intuitive work. I start with no expectations and I find little gems in the painted surface that lead me to my next step. I really don’t start with anything in mind.

The Couple - Abstract Intuitive Painting

The most interesting part of working this way is that I tend to see things that come out of me I didn’t know were there. It’s a good way find out what is really going on in my own head, so to speak. These paintings took several weeks. Each one was on its own schedule, really. And I’ve learned that sometimes, a painting needs to sit for a while – weeks or months (sometimes even years!) – before I feel it’s ready to share in any way.

Travel Pack Front before painting - BORING color and not a good color to go with my wardrobe!

In addition to these paintings, I also found some time to do some decoration of a leather travel pack. I bought this leather belt bag for $4 because it was missing the strap to convert it to a cross-shoulder bag. The color is a beige – not my color at all. I tend to wear a lot of pops of color with my wardrobe. It needed something and I knew what I wanted to do! I might add a strap, but I wanted to test the waters of decorating leather by using some fabric paint and then decorating with Sakura’s Permapaque Pens. I just played with shapes and color to add interest to this travel pack.

Travel Pack Front post-painting

I found that I really liked working with the Permapaque pens. I’ve used them in the past, but mostly in my visual journals. I’ve never used them on leather and so this was a risk. But it was one worth taking!

So, I’ve been keeping busy. My hands have been active, my mind has been creative. I’ve also created some journals and I’m working on two more realistic paintings. I always have my journal close-by. I will photograph some art and share some photos from visits with family and friends in the next few days and try to get those to you, too. None  of the art pieces are finished, but they’re either on the easels or sitting and waiting for me to figure out what’s next.

Travel Pack Front Inside - post-painting

Times like this remind me that art is really a journey. The destination for me is the exploration of what I can do and what is possible. It’s not always the finished painting. I’ve learned to accept that. I know it’s hard for friends and family who don’t do art to understand that. They often ask me when they’re getting a piece of art from me or hint that it’s their “turn”. Well, really, my art is, at its heart, for me. It’s something I do to feed my soul. If something comes out of it that is worth sharing with the world – whether on my own walls, on this blog, or in my Artfire Shop, that’s a bonus. But so much of my art goes un-shared. When it starts, I never know what I’ll end up doing. I just start, playing with paint, line, and color. I play and art follows. Whereas when I try to plan out a process for a particular piece, I get caught up in the perfectionist mindset. The art loses its magic. It loses its draw for me. It loses its soul. That is the exact opposite of why my art is what it is.

My new purse!

Today I was inspired to use the pieces of a purse I had started to make several months ago. I was making a lot of totes, but I wanted something that was more of a purse – with a closure. I started it and then I couldn’t figure out how to finish it. Until yesterday, that is. Joanne took a class from Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica. In the class, she made a collage purse and I finally knew what I needed to do to make my purse work! I added a piece in the front to highlight the fabric collage I made from vintage kimono fabrics and I added the strap. I’ll be testing out this purse tonight at Art Unraveled. It matches the tote I made for myself back in December, so that’s kind of fun, too.

I do wish I had pockets inside, so I might try to alter it some more to add a liner with a pocket or four… But still, it is a fun purse, especially, for Art Unraveled and other artistic endeavors!

Have a great day, all!

Seven totes finished!

Doll I made for Joanne

And it’s August! Sheesh! Where did the summer go? This weekend is the kick-off of Art Unraveled and Joanne is in town. I’m heading out to see her in a while. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was meeting Joanne in Chicago planning my trip to France. And then again, France seems like a lifetime ago.

It’s been a busy week here. I spent Monday, Wednesday and Friday working on art. Monday I made some collage packets and I did some art for CreativeTherapy. Wednesday I finished creating some totes. And today I made some dolls and my name tag for Art Unraveled. It was relaxing and productive.

Art Unraveled Name Tag

Tuesday and Thursday I volunteered for Cochlear Americas as an Awareness Advocate. I’ve mentioned my volunteer activities with this in the past. I went with the education coordinator for our region to talk about the Baha and how it has helped my life. I got to meet a Constable and a Voc Rehab specialist, both of whom have single-sided-deafness (SSD) like I do. It was a long day, but well worth it. I think both of these people will be on the road to getting Bahas and making their lives easier.

I volunteered again Thursday, to speak in front of a group of Vocational Rehabilitation counselors for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Most of these people were, themselves hearing impaired or deaf, so it was an interesting morning. The education person spoke about the cochlear implant and the baha and I told my story. They asked questions and, I hope, we were successful in educating them. We were down in Casa Grande, which is about an hour or so south of where I live. Luckily the education coordinator lives near me, so we carpool when we go to these things. Wednesday I did some final preparations on the gifts for my friends… Or so I thought. I made some totes and finished sewing all of them up. But one of my friends received a tote from me just a short time ago. So, I decided that I might do something else for her. But I was tired and I knew I had a long day scheduled. So, I went to sleep early.

I enjoy doing my volunteer work. It makes me feel like I’m giving back for all I’ve received. I’m speaking again this week for other Vocational Rehabilitation counselors and I was just told that this would be teleconferenced across the state. It will be fun, I’m sure.

More soon!

Today, we picked up PF Chang’s and brought it to their house for a family lunch. I spent time with my MIL editing her book and going over the images she has and needs. This week, I’ll start laying it out to be sure we have all the pictures we need and to make sure it’s going to fit within the parameters of the self-publishing company we’re going with. It was a nice way to spend the day.

This weekend, I also continued to practice drawing. I did a lot with my mannequin. I wanted to get better at proportions and body gestures. I photographed only a few pages, but I’ll photograph more tomorrow and post them here. It’s much harder than I thought it would be, but it’s good practice, for sure.

And some of you may have noticed that it’s Sunday! Sunday means the new CreativeTherapy catalyst is up with the responses from our design team. Please stop by and see what we’ve all come up with in response to this week’s catalyst #9, “Something you’re pessimistic about”. It was a tough one for each of us, but I believe we got some great art from all the participants!

In the past, I haven’t really posted mine here. However, this was a really difficult one for me. I spent more than a full day on it – unusual for me. To the left is the picture of what I’m pessimistic about. You’ll have to read the journaling here. And, don’t forget: If you participate, respond in the comments at CreativeTherapy and you’ll be entered in a random drawing for a prize from one of our sponsors!

When I did the free motion quilting, I, as usual, created more quilted fabric than I needed. I knew I would figure out something to do with it, and I did. You see, I was lucky enough to participate in the Cyber Fiber Exhibit Postcard Exchange with the fabulous Susan Lenz. In February, I offered to trade out a postcard for this fabulous one Susan created out of a full-sized quilt she made a while back. Well, unfortunately, the mail being what it is, the postcard did not show up, though Susan sent it on February 3rd. I emailed Susan after a few weeks and told her I’d not received it. We were both disappointed, but we were willing to accept that these things happen and that we’d trade at another time.

Well, much to my surprise, Saturday’s mail brought with it the very postcard! I cannot tell you how excited I am to own this beauty! It’s even more intense and the color is SO much deeper in real life! I love it.

Anyway, back to the leftover quilted fabric! LOL

Today I took some time and created the postcard for Susan. I made it out of the base fabric left over from the tote and I added a decorative collage of vintage kimono fabrics. But it still needed something to balance it out. So, I added in the fiber from my huge (and I mean huge!) stash of fibers. I’m pretty happy with the result here, too. A lot had to do with the color of the background fabric, which I love, but I also like that it really represents my style.

Tomorrow I’m volunteering for Cochlear again, showing off my Baha implant and answering questions about it. I always enjoy helping people learn about this so it will be a tiring, but good day!

OK. Now I’m off to figure out what to do with the rest of that fabric and to pull together stuff for my trip!

The nurses loved the bags, so that was fun. And I made the one on the left for myself, as well. I used it to bring my blanket, my iPod, and some reading material with me. It’s deeper than some of the others, but, since it has to fit in enough “stuff” to get me through the day of treatment, I figured it would work!

This bag, actually, was a great victory for me. The base was created with my new Fabric Mover, so it is all free motion quilted! I really learned how to manipulate the fabric with this project. It was a blast!

I’ve spent the past day working on two presents while relaxing and recuperating from my treatment. The first is a doll for a friend’s holiday present (Yes. It is late! She knows it will be!) and the second is a bag for a bottle of wine. See, each year, one of Dave’s partners has a holiday party. They are wine drinkers, so we go and buy them a good bottle of wine each year. Usually, we just get a tube for it or we bring it in a store-bought gift bag. And, while none of these are bad, I decided that a good bottle of wine needed a beautiful exterior. So, I made this wine gift “bag” out of a beautiful crushed velvet that had sequins on it and a raw silk inside. It was a quick and fairly easy project, but it looks like it took a lot of work. I added some copper metallic fibers from my stash. All that’s left to do is to write a short note and we’re set for this weekend’s party!

Most of today, I’ll probably sit in front of the television and try to get my energy back. I’m feeling the fatigue from the treatment today.

The first, to the left, is blue and green with some pink andyellow tossed in for good measure! The entire tote is quilted. As you look through these totes, you’ll notice that there is green in each one. Green is known as a healing color and, since all four of the recipients are in the healing profession, I thought it was appropriate. Of course, it helps that green is one of my favorite colors, so I’m drawn to it in my search for fabrics!

To the right is a purple and turquoise tote. I created this one for the nurse manager of the infusion clinic who LOVES purple. Her house is purple, her scrubs are purple, her socks are purple. So, I made hers purple!

The third (to the left) is for the youngest of the three clinic staff. She’s in her early 20′s and likes to wear bright colors, so the lime green suits her well. And finally, to the right, is the tote for the nurse manager of the free clinics. She’s over 6 feet tall, so I needed to make her a bag that was in proportion to her size. Anything smaller would look wrong on her. She loves color and so this one is filled with color!

So, all four were completed, finally, yesterday. ! Each of them features a one-of-a-kind fabric collage. I used vintage kimono fabrics in them along with some fibers I found in my stash.

I enjoyed making these so much that I think I am going to start making more today!

And, best of all was Angie’s squeal of delight on her street as she opened it. The coloring of the portrait. along with the shape of the face and features, is inspired by Angie herself! Inside the bag were two smaller pouches – one for her camera and the other had some of Angie’s favorite Pigma Micron Pens in various colors and sizes. I also added a small watercolor sketchbox for Angie to use on our trip, included was a waterbrush.

Angie and I decided not to take too much with us when we went out to Prescott. We banned make-up (not that we wear it when we’re together most of the time anyway!), chose casual clothes and vowed not to dress up. We stopped at an antique shop along the side of Rte. 69 that Angie had seen many times before on her trips up there. As this was a weekend for us to do whatever we wanted, we stopped and walked around the store for at least an hour. It was a cluttered shop, filled with all sorts of treasures. We found hand-embroidered napkins, crocheted pieces, and other antique fabrics to share. Angie also found the pieces for a model bank in a rusty metal and some barbed wire. I found a rhinestone bolo that I will likely use at a bar mitzvah we’re attending at the end of the month (the theme is cowboy formal!).

From there, we suddenly realized we were both hungry. So, we were on the lookout for an interesting place to eat. We noticed a small Chinese restaurant and decided to take the risk. We were pleasantly surprised. The food was good, not greasy; the restaurant was warm and dry. And the break from the foggy and rainy driving weather was a welcome change for me. One thing that struck me, however, was that they had a fan above our table and on the decorative fan were some leaves with some fake insects. I had to take a photo (left).

After the meal, we got back in the car and drove straight to where we were staying. We were lucky with that. Angie’s husband remembered that a friend of theirs had a guest loft above their garage. He called and we were blessed with a lovely two-bedroom one-bath loft with a kitchenette. We had both brought snacks with us, figuring we’d be doing a lot of art and who wants to head outside each time you want coffee or something to munch on? The fireplace was controlled by the thermostat and the floor in the bathroom was heated! Very cool!

We chose our rooms, both of which were decorated in a relaxing homey cranberry red and white. We unpacked and I took some photos of my room because it was just so cute! To the left is the chair that sat in the little nook around the window. The upholstery matched the pillows and the rest of the bedding. It was a lovely Americana decor and there was also come Christmas decor that matched. We felt very at home there immediately and could not believe our luck.

Then we sat and started to paint almost immediately! To the right is my favorite page from the weekend, but you can see more in my Flicker Photoset. Because it was so rainy out, we decided that, instead of wandering around town shivering, we’d paint. We painted things in and around the loft. Angie and I have very different styles, as she is a very detailed watercolorist and I’m more impressionistic about it. This was Angie’s first time watercolor journaling, and her training in watercolor shows. Hers are splendid, so do take a moment to check out her blog where she has shown her artwork, as well.

One of the greatest things about the weekend is that Angie and I can sit in silence together without it feeling uncomfortable. We do often sit in my studio and talk forever, it seems! But we were not rushing for time, so we were able to relax and just be one with the art. We did, of course, talk a lot! We just do. We finish each other’s sentences, change the subjects to the same new subjects out of nowhere, and we laugh a lot! Unfortunately, Angie’s kids were sick and back at my house, Dave’s dad was just released from the hospital, so we left behind quite a bit of stress. We both needed the break, but we did have the cell phone to keep in touch when we were needed.

The three days passed far too quickly. The rain kept us in until Sunday when we went antiquing and gallery hopping to see what Prescott had to offer. We found some treasures and both felt as if we’d had enough at the same time – about two hours into the excursion. So we picked up some soup from a small lunch shop and went back to the loft to pack up and head out.

The ride home went far too quickly, but we were lucky enough to beat the weekend traffic. Angie was home at 4 pm and I arrived home by 4:30. It was a lovely weekend and one we will repeat in a few months, I’m sure!

Today, that meant sewing. I took some of the pouches I had ready to sew and I finished those up. No. That’s not what you’re seeing to the left. I haven’t photographed those yet. I’ll do that and get them up along with the photos from the rest of the weekend.

You are seeing my first tote. I had so much fun creating this tote. I have been looking for a way to use my sewing with my paintings to create something that I can share.

I’m planning on using this tote this weekend to show the artist in me at the opening. I’ll make more when I return, if there’s an interest in them…