New Art For My Walls

In the past few weeks I have been involved in several art shows, as a participant it was successful and a wonderful adventure. I met many artist old and new, fell in love with so many beautiful pieces but could come home with only a fraction of what I wanted. I was not surprised at the colors and subjects I picked but was amazed at how well they all go together once they were all on the same wall. We are still in the middle of a remodel and they will find new space after it is all done but for now they will hang at the side of my bed where I can see them every night and dream of art and color.
Remember if you want to see the art work up close just click on the picture.
This piece is by Barton DeGgraaf click on this if you would like to see more of his work. I love all his work, the one above is titled "Gone Fishin" and is a watercolor.

This one is by Robin Olsen from her pod series, an acrylic on canvas. The title is "Alone Time". I love the values and textures in her work,check out her blog and see some amazing art.

This one is so alive and my photograph does not do it justice because the depth, color and different textures captures the viewer. It is titled "Sunrise, Sunset" a mixed media collage by Lorraine Jones.

Here they are next to the bed.

So sweet this little Jack Sparrow Hawk (American Kestrel) is acrylic on wood by Susan G. Jensen

And isn't this one fabulous it is a African Guinea Hen. Acrylic on canvas by R. Goldys.

A bird of a different sort a "Urban Folk Art Bird" by Stephanie Brockway.

The pillow is by Suzanne Reynolds a wonderful seamstress and artist.

The card is a photo of a couple sock monsters by Darlene Veltman.
How lucky am I, I sold enough art to buy some amazing pieces from artists I admire.

More Lights

I have been working away on lights for my art groups show and sale Dec. 4th and 5th. I hope you can come see what we have been working on all year. Please click here for the details.

They are all lit with a 3 watt or 7 watt night light. Each one is unique.....

from the tip top to the funny little things inside...

This one I'm fond of.

"She thought the little nuts would never be quiet"

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Lighting glass assemblages

I have been having fun in the studio playing with glass and little bits of things...

This one is unfinished but fun to look at...

she rides her rhino in a forest of type writer keys.

as I was taking photos the sun came in creating great shadows....

a wood base holds a night light...

she looks out at us...

hand made papers diffuse the light...

the Russian dancer comes from the 50's

The old man in the moon takes a rhino ride.

More to come very soon I'm getting ready for the Portland Art Collective annual art show and sale.

New artist in town

Dad, Mom and baby just minutes after being born.

Every little thing checks out....

healthy 8.5 lbs....

after wetting on mom she gets her first diaper...

what kind of art would you like to try first.

first bath and combing of her hair... she loves it....

after all that its time for a nap.... we have plenty of time to do art...

She (Nessie ?) was born about 2:30 pm Nov. 2, 8.8lbs, 20" long with good healthy lungs.

Nautilus Shell

The nautilus shell spiral is a logarithmic spiral similar to other spirals such as the Golden Mean or phi spiral, but with slightly different proportions. A close approximation of a Golden Mean spiral, based on the Fibonacci whole number sequence.The spiral of the chambered nautilus as well as other logarithmic spirals can be found throughout the human body and nature. The drawing of the inner ear and a image of a star cluster nebula are just two examples which can be seen with a microscope or a telescope.

I started this lamp with a wire base that is soldered together.

Nautilus – Living fossil
The Nautilus (in Greek 'sailor') has survived relatively unchanged for 450 million years and is one of the only shells to survive from the Dinosaurs era. This is why the Nautilus is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil". The Nautilus is a nocturnal creature and spends most of its time in the great depths of the ocean. The Nautilus shell, lined with mother-of-pearl, grows into increasingly larger chambers throughout its life and so has become a symbol for expansion and renewal.

I looked at the shell for reference but did not measure.

Nautilus shell and Phi Dating back to Hindu myth, the Nautilus Shell was mentioned as a symbol of many things in the creation. It is also a symbol for the inner beauty of nature. The Nautilus shell is one of the known shapes that represent the golden mean number. The golden mean number is also known as PHI - 1.6180339... The PHI is a number without an arithmetic solution, the digits simply continue for eternity without repeating themselves. The uniqueness of the golden mean is that it can be found in all living forms such as the human skeleton, the shell and the sunflowers seeds order. Plato called this value - "The key for the universe physics".

The Golden Mean number is widely used in art, architecture and religious symbols. Artists like Da Vinci and Kandinsky have used the golden mean in their paintings. The Guggenheim museum, planned by Frank Lloyd Wright, is shaped like the shell.

The light is 12" x 12" x 6" and uses a 7 watt night light bulb

Researchers found that humans will consider art work, architecture and even a face beautiful that have the golden mean proportions.

Happy Halloween

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh – Skull with Cigarette (1886)

This image was made just prior to the beginning of the 19th century; however it demonstrates a starting point for the shifting trend in skulls and skeletons in art. Van Gogh painted this work while studying figures from life models at the Academy of Art in Antwerp. The students were at the time learning in the academic tradition, which relied heavily on the classical examples and practices of ancient Rome and Greece. Because Van Gogh did not agree with this form of painting, this image was most likely meant as a joking mockery of the academic practice.

The bust and felting soap

I saw this bust in a downtown shop in Salem about a year ago and wanted it sooooo much but thought I should not spend the money. Every time I went in I looked for it and was relieved to see it still there. Then one day I'm on the street walking by and there it is in the display window with a very very appealing display ("Oh no someone will buy it now for sure."). Well you can figure it out the display worked.

Last weekend at the art retreat I made this hat but had the chore of making soap, not bad but takes some time. My face didn't look that sad......

however it was nice to have a pile of soap made.

Artist Retreat

What a weekend, we all enjoy a spot in Creevy Commons to visit, laugh and make art at the Portland Art Collectives fall retreat... painters,knitters,jewelers, sculptors, artisan's of all sorts work together and share knowledge....

we had a small table of show and tell, next time I want a big one its so nice to see the work others are doing....

the demos went well.... new addictions....

Jan concentrates....I can't wait to see that one done...

or this book....that Dayna works on...

Linda helps me get the panty hose on the wool covered balloon ? what ?

it became a hat.. my sis Becky models...

Diane's faces come out for some air...

little mushrooms pop in the leaf litter...

and Jan captures them.....

thank you to the group for a very nice card and gift, you touch me in so many ways.....

as I said in the first line "What a Weekend"

Fun ladies and great felting

The Purl District in the lovely little town of Silverton where ladies gather, laugh, knit and play with wool, we had a fantastic felting class. I taught three 2 hour classes and we created a bag (or hat in some cases), the handle, needle felted a design, made a flower from a rock, a little colorful ball and covered a bar of soup in wool. It can’t get any better than that.

Celia the shop owner makes everyone who enters a friend, she is the one waving . Here we are in week one starting our bags.

and check it out a mouse on the back....

the soap smells sooooo good.....

flowers bloom in many colors....

fetching....

just look at that yummy color....

the possibility's are endless...

this one looks like a little brook trout...

and here little birds eat winter berry's...

what a fabulous bunch of gals thank you for a great class.

A close up on autumn

Autumn: a time of full maturity a beginning of seeds and planting, of hatching out to lay an egg. The glory of the flower in the summer sun is only there to produce a seed to be dropped in autumn. . It is a season of rejuvenation and rest. It all begins now in the fall lighting fires and dawning masks to frighten off evil, reading books, learning and thinking, preparing thoughts and food to sustain body and soul. It is my favorite time of year.


I am very happy with the photograph this time is looks nice if you click on the picture to enlarge them, the lady bug looks wet, the spider has thorny legs, the flowers and plants have such nice texture to see up close.

In autumn the littlest one among us can feel tall with long shadows.

an odd plant makes a final push to insure propagation...


mother makes a push of her own to gather food...

Nightshade, It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, ancient Romans, including the wives of two Emperors, and by Macbeth of Scotland before he became a Scottish King.

Fly away little seeds find a nice bed and sleep until the earth warms again.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.
Fall poem by John Muir

Assemblage under glass

I have been having fun with a new idea of combining the super shine of clean glass with the old worn assemblage items I'm so addicted to. Here a photo I love "chicken boy" or in this case three chicken boys ride around a real nest that is enclosed with a iron wire fence. On the next level is a real quail egg that has the appearance of it floating above the nest. And on the top stands a Flickers flight feather. The three levels are soldered together for stability.

This next piece looks so fun sitting on the coffee table, from across the room it looks like a hurricane lamp or an old light bulb, it's not until you get up close that you can see it is a assemblage.

The top or finial is a bell from an old type writer then in the small glass globe are old tin stars...

A boy on a pony rides among trees made from type writer hammers, the ground is covered in shinny black seed beads. The title of this piece is " A Ride Under The Stars"

There will me more to come I have numerous idea's....

Flying free

Monday morning is always busy at the immediate care center in Woodburn but this Monday a feathered friend needed immediate care more than ever. We think she flew into a window trying to escape from a mob of crows. The receptionist Ana saw this and got help from the nurse practitioner Liz and the center manager Becky, they gave immediate care and transportation to the Portland Audubon Society care center.

The patient a Sharp-shinned Hawk spent a few days in the care center and regained her strength. She has just fledged this year and is learning the dangers of flying into new territory.

Here she is getting ready to go home. I drove her back to Woodburn and.....

Ana, Liz and Becky set her free.....

she came out of the box like a rocket.....

we watched her circle getting her bearings until she was just a speck in the sky.

Good work ladies !!!

A little more information on why the crows would mob her....
A small hawk, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is a regular visitor to bird feeders, where it eats birds, not seed. The male and female show a greater disparity in size than any other American hawk; the female is nearly twice the weight of the male.

2009 Wild Arts Festival

This project is to help the Portland Audubon Society, the 6x6 canvases for every artists was donated by Art Media.

The theme is birds .... This piece is called "Oops"

All the art will be exhibited and sold at the 2009 Wild Arts Festival held at Montgomery Park. They will be priced at $40 each (can you believe that) and all the proceeds will support conservation, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation.

Click here to find out more about this event.

Home and back at it!

Home from Art and Soul !
I taught the wire sculpture crow class and what a fun time we had, the students were fantastic and made some very nice crows. Each one had a wonderful whimsical face and personality's to fall in love with.

Here a student concentrates on soldering a wing.

A finished crow drys after a paint job.

Lorna's crow was awesome, very animated!

This is a sneak peek at a new class being offered at Art and Soul in Madison WI. It's title is ART ON A HOT TIN ROOF, a cottage with a punched tin roof, paper cut walls that are illuminated from within. This will be a fun one and I just love little glowing lights.

New Muse in Town

I don't know her name but she makes me want to paint and hum....

Her wing span is 15" and she stands 25" tall.

She flew into town on resin wings just in time for Art and Soul.

The Inventor

Reginald Q. Wickham born to British parents in India was making great strides with the parallel circuit, he heard of Edison’s achievements with the incandescent electric light. But when he learned that Edison had overtaken him in the improvement of the dynamo he was utterly shattered. This is when he put on his light bulb hat and dedicated his live to time travel.

Reginald (Reggie to us who know him) stands on an 1886 cigar box. Gears, gauges, wires and an old light bulb help activate the magic ball he is holding. If it ever starts to spin Reggie will be off to the future, maybe.

Little known fact: Reggie coined the phrase "Damn the Dynamo"

I’m having fun getting ready for my crow class at Art and Soul. These are little bags made of clothpaper to hold all the goodies we will be using. I started out with the idea of making a plain canvas bag….but this is so much more fun.

Fiddling and Knitting

If some how you get a chance to see this show with Topol maybe in another city go he is so good, I think I'm in love. His voice you could listen to forever. The set was very nice and fascinating how they interchanged it all.

Knitting class is over but I think I'm hooked.

Just being around all the color and texture in a yarn shop is worth it.

The class laid out their handy work.

My sister Becky's beautiful scarf, she will still drop the stitches and then the real magic happens.

My scarf, knit 5, purl 5, add color and texture, drop a stitch and it makes its own fringe. OK now to remember it all.....

I will watch your eggs!

It is always a surprise to see who it is that comes out of the clay, I never go for the elf cute look but that is who emerged. So what to do with this fresh face? I made the hair look like feathers and thought to keep the colors in earth tones. The base is the top of a piano stool, the nest sits on a tree made from a spindle with branches from old type writer arms.

I rusted the nest in the bathroom so I could dunk it in water every time I washed my hands. It had help with some vinegar and salt, Norm thought it was a bit stinky to have in there. What we do for art.

I think a sweet song is being sung to the eggs.

The little eggs came from a quail and are real. My next job is to make a paper cut with this sculpture as the vocal point.

Odds and Ends

I was playing with my camera still trying to get the feeling for what it can do or should I say what I can't do.

An old stack, I love the worn corners, most of these books are over 100 years old.

The dice belonged to my grandparents they are old bakelite, maybe from the 30s.

Just a fun composition, and a study of values. I like how the gold on the pages show up but the wood blocks are too dark. The old shoe form is to make a woman's high heel. The nest has a lining of Winnie's hair, it dropped out of a fir tree last winter, I felt so lucky to find it..... yes I know her hair she leaves it for all of us.

Here are some very old woodland Indian moccasins and a choker from a different tribe, the bead work is unbelievable.

On my last post I took a picture of part of a old truck this is a card I made using it as the base.

And at last I finished this paper cut I started at Menucha at the end of May. It is now hanging at the main Multnomah Co Library gift shop with my other paper cuts for a show and sale.
I took a knitting class last night and hopefully in a week or so I will be able to show you how I did.

Working on Art, Art gone Bad and Nature

I worked in the studio almost all week doing the mundane... making cards, framing prints, packaging and all the necessary chores... and very little fun creating. We all have to do it and rarely blog about it for good reason. I did work on this body form all day Friday.It has very colorful resin paper wings with a metal and paper body. I painted a scene on the torso that turned out hideous, yes that happens. So no picture and I will rework it later.

It stands 4' with a wing span of 4 1/2'. Saturday after working on the house we went for a drive near Albany. On the way, the Great Blue Heron was hunting for mice in a just-cut field.

And here is said mouse smack in the middle of the road. It looks like a rock but is a mouse.

He wanted to get to the other side, opposite of Mr. Heron. As I tried to hurry him along with my mono-pod, he jumped and bit at it. I made sure he made it just as a fast farm truck came barreling down on us.

Here is the art gone bad... this is the front of a house in Albany. Go ahead and click on it and check out the flag holding bear on the right and the deer on the left. A water fall comes of the roof and drops into a Koi pond.

The Koi are beautiful and around 20" long.

This sign was on an old truck across the street. I liked the color, it will make a nice back ground on a future piece of art.

We journeyed along out of town to this little pond. I wanted to look first before Norm and the dogs got out (bird watching).

As I saw this tree, I heard the loud slap of the beaver tail announcing my arrival.

He sat and watched us, moving now and then to let us know it's his home.

It was getting dark and time to go ....

The seed heads rustled in the breeze, a killdeer cried from the far side of the pond as dark unproductive clouds rolled past. A very nice day, I will get back to art as summer days wane, but for now nature will satiate me with its beauty.