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Category: CREATE

Who Are These Kind, Generous People?

Who Are These Kind, Generous People?

Artists of course!  I am just back from CREATE, Seattle and just love all the beautiful friendships that come with teaching.  We share and give each other so much.  We share ideas, new art supplies, creative thoughts and encouragement.  And gifts!

Marlene gave me stencils – she says she bought too many, lol.  Diana made me a beautiful envelope to keep all the cool Polaroid mini photos that Michelle shared with me. Michelle also bought me a pencil sharpener because I needed one.  Susan gave me a magic wand (that can also be used as a pen).

Today in the mail, I receive two beautiful ceramic brush holders from the National Gallery of Art sent to me by Pat.   Here is what she says about them:

“ceramic brush holders – like a mug w no handle – I had one in class.  I think of you every time I look at it and would love for you to have one.  I use it for my clear water and pipette when I paint – lets me know it is NOT the one with my coffee in it and the water is always clean to add to a half-pan without getting too much water over into the next pan that I don’t want wet.  You of course, may actually drink out of it or use it for brushes.  I find it interesting that they list it as a brush holder. 

THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Happy Colorful New Year – It’s a Beautiful Day!

Happy Colorful New Year – It’s a Beautiful Day!

“Your success and happiness lies in you.  Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”  Helen Keller

Today is my birthday and the beginning of a new year!  I feel blessed in many ways.  I am so happy that I made the decision 14 years ago to quit my secure job as a lab technician to stay at home and pursue art.  I was scared, lonely and I had no idea what I was doing but I just knew that I had to draw, paint, mix gooey colorful messes and create.   I have made so many wonderful new friends.  Artists are the best!

Adding Texture to Your Paintings

Adding Texture to Your Paintings

Textured Stone Wall and Red Door

It is fun to play with different ways to add texture to your watercolor paintings.  Sprinkle, Splash and Splatter; Creating Texture with Watercolor, is one of the workshops that I am offering at CREATE, Chicago this Friday, August 23, 2013.  “Texture Stone Wall and Red Door” is just one of the step-by-step examples of one of the exercises that we will be painting in this workshop.

Getting Ready for CREATE, Chicago!

Getting Ready for CREATE, Chicago!

I love collecting artistic tools to put in the goody bags that I give to my students.  I love meeting new artistic friends and catching up with old ones.  I love sharing what I have learned over the years about how to paint beautiful, colorful, glowing paintings and filling art journals with watercolor paintings and mixed media.  I love CREATE!

My little suitcase of supplies
Better clean up my palette
Showing off a colorful background ready for journaling

Dripping with color

Busy creating
Looking forward to catching up with Jenn Mason and Sue Pelletier
Stuffing goody bags

Photos from CREATE, Chicago 2012

Photos from CREATE, Chicago 2012

I am learning new things about my iphone!   I have finally figured out how to add photos quickly to my blog soooo……. here are some photos from my watercolor Rainbow Studies & Slice of Life Classes that I taught in August.  So many wonderful, fun and creative artists!  So many messy, beautiful palettes of paint, lusciously painted pears and happy smiles!

More Photos from Irvine- Create & Beautiful Art!

More Photos from Irvine- Create & Beautiful Art!

Here are some photos from my classes at CREATE, Irvine, 2012.  We learned about color, adding dimension with value, colorful shadows and how to paint along our journey.  Thank you all for a fabulous time!

First time painter EVER!  Shelley”s pear painting using
the color wheel to pick her colors – Way to Go Shelley! 

Jeannie getting into her supplies
Beautiful glowing colors on Flip, Flaps & Fold-out Tag

Beverly’s Juicy Pear & Color Chart

Jeannine’s pears turned out as colorful as her t-shirt!

Using stencils in new ways….

Mother- Daughter Team

Cool art supplies

More art supplies

Fun!

Love using that colorwheel!

A Peek Inside My Watercolor Journal – CREATE

A Peek Inside My Watercolor Journal – CREATE

Part of the fun of going to one of the art retreats is being able to take classes from teachers you admire.  I have always loved Beryl Taylor’s work and was fortunate enough to take a class from her!  I love her sense of color and design.  She mixes paints, fabric, and journaling.  Yes – I did actually sit at a sewing machine and do some sewing on the pieces in my journal above.  I have to tell you that fabric art has come a long way from when I used to sew!
The final project for this class was to bind the little pages into a petite book.  Instead, I ended up putting them in my watercolor art journal as I thought I would see them more often there and they will serve as a reminder to what I learned in this fabulous class:  painting on metal, painting on muslin, layering and creative edges. 
Thank you Beryl!

CREATE Mixed Media Retreat!

CREATE Mixed Media Retreat!

The poster outside my classroom

I have been in Lisle on the outskirts of Chicago for several days “doing art” at CREATE, 2011!  My favorite part was making new friends and sharing creative ideas!   I am already looking forward to the CREATE retreat in Irvine, California. 
I thought I would come home and clean up and organize my studio, but instead, I was so jazzed about the new things I learned and the encouragement I got about my journals, that before my suitcase was even empty my studio became messier than ever!  I think that I now have about 4-5 projects going – all in the different stages of completeness.  Watercolor, watercolor journaling, book pages, and even painting on fabric!  Yes, you CREATE fabric folks made an impression on me!
Is this how you like to create?  Or are you more of an organized, neat, finish one project before starting the next type of artist?

More photos from my Flip, Flaps & Fold-out Class at CREATE:

I love traveling through the San Francisco Airport.  They always have an interesting artistic display.  This month it was a look at old TV shows and board games.  Do you remember the Twilight Zone Game?  Lost in Space?

Playing with Color for the CREATE Retreat

Playing with Color for the CREATE Retreat

Rainbow Studies

Flip, Flaps and Fold-Outs

CREATE Mixed Media Retreat is two weeks away and I have been excitedly getting ready for my classes that I am teaching.  Even though the Flip, Flaps and Fold-Outs class is full, there are still a couple of spots left in the Rainbow Studies Class.  This class will focus on using the color wheel to create harmonious little watercolor painting studies.  If you struggle with color, this class will be of great value.  I look forward to meeting all the artists that will be at CREATE!

A Day in Uzes, A Peek inside my Watercolor Journal

A Day in Uzes, A Peek inside my Watercolor Journal

If you are ever in the south of France, be sure to spend an afternoon in the quiet little town of Uzes.  Park your car and walk to the old town center.  There you will find a peaceful cobbled stone square with a fountain, cafes and filtered sunlight sparkling through the Plane trees.  I was lucky enough to be able to sit for awhile and capture this scene in my watercolor journal. 
I am excited to tell you that I will be teaching at the CREATE Chicago Mixed Media Retreat in August.  Registration opened today!  I will be teaching a watercolor class on how to successfully mix colors, called Rainbow Studies, as well as a mixed media class on creating interactive components in your watercolor journals – Flips, Flaps and Fold-outs.  I would love to meet some of you in person!